Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Dell Collectively Raise Prices; Institutions Predict Global Memory Shortage May Last Until 2027
TechFlow reports that on August 26, the sharp surge in AI computing demand has driven memory chip prices significantly higher, with upstream price hike pressures cascading to downstream end-user markets.
Recently, Amazon raised prices on multiple hardware products. The entry-level Echo smart speaker, the brand's best-selling model, saw the steepest increase, jumping from $49.99 to $79.99 (approximately 538 RMB), a rise of roughly 60%. The base 16GB e-reader went up from $109.99 to $149.99 (approximately 1,000 RMB), an increase of about 36%. Prior to Amazon's price adjustments, tech companies including Apple, Microsoft, and Dell had already tackled cost pressures by increasing retail prices and reducing standard memory configurations in their hardware.
Market research firm IDC previously warned that the global memory shortage could continue until 2027, with industry projections indicating that memory chip prices may peak in 2028 before gradually decreasing and stabilizing. (CCTV Finance)
