Why is a standard business laptop or a mid-range smartphone more expensive in 2026?
The answer is not inflation. It is wafers.
In today’s semiconductor market, every DDR5 module, HBM stack, LPDDR chip, and enterprise SSD starts from the same 300mm silicon wafer. When manufacturers allocate those wafers to AI-grade memory for data centers, they are no longer available for PCs, smartphones, or consumer devices.
This article breaks down the full memory hierarchy—DDR4, DDR5, LPDDR, GDDR, HBM, and NAND—and explains the “Silicon Zero-Sum Game” driving record price increases across the entire IT ecosystem.
If you manage hardware budgets, data centers, or surplus IT assets, this is essential reading for understanding the 2026 memory super-cycle.
The answer is not inflation. It is wafers.
In today’s semiconductor market, every DDR5 module, HBM stack, LPDDR chip, and enterprise SSD starts from the same 300mm silicon wafer. When manufacturers allocate those wafers to AI-grade memory for data centers, they are no longer available for PCs, smartphones, or consumer devices.
This article breaks down the full memory hierarchy—DDR4, DDR5, LPDDR, GDDR, HBM, and NAND—and explains the “Silicon Zero-Sum Game” driving record price increases across the entire IT ecosystem.
If you manage hardware budgets, data centers, or surplus IT assets, this is essential reading for understanding the 2026 memory super-cycle.