The surge in demand for memory chips from artificial intelligence data centers has led Apple and Microsoft to announce recent price increases for some products, passing on the rising component costs to consumers.

Apple announced on June 25 a global price increase for MacBook, iPad, and some home devices, with hikes ranging between 17% and 54%. The starting price for the MacBook Air rose from $1,099 to $1,299, the iPad Air from $599 to $749, and the Apple TV jumped from $129 to $199, a rise of 54.3%. The company stated that the rapid expansion of AI data centers has led to a sharp increase in demand for memory and storage, explaining that it had been absorbing the cost pressures internally but has now been forced to raise prices on multiple products.

On the same day, Microsoft announced that its Xbox game console would see a price increase starting August 1, with the 1TB version rising by $150. Microsoft pointed out that the prices for the storage and memory used in the consoles have increased by more than 2.5 times and are expected to double again by the fall of 2027.

Core Cause of Price Hikes

The root cause of this round of price increases lies in the massive drain on memory production capacity caused by AI infrastructure construction. A single AI server requires 8 to 10 times more memory than a traditional server, and nearly 60% of global DRAM wafer capacity is already occupied by AI clusters. Market data shows that DRAM prices surged by 98% in the first quarter of 2026 and are forecast to rise another 58% to 63% in the second quarter.

Impact on Different Businesses

The impact of the price hikes varies by company size. Large technology firms, with their substantial cash buffers and supply chain leverage, can manage the situation. However, for small and medium-sized enterprises with thin profit margins, this memory shortage poses a severe challenge. Action camera maker GoPro warned this month that the company could face a risk of closure after seeing memory costs rise between 80% and 115%.

Beneficiaries of the Trend

In stark contrast to the struggles of consumer electronics companies, memory chip manufacturers are enjoying unprecedented gains. The latest financial report from Micron Technology showed quarterly revenue reached $41.46 billion, a 346% year-over-year increase, with net profit soaring from $1.89 billion in the same period last year to $28.24 billion.

Market Outlook

The market widely expects that, against the backdrop of sustained AI computing demand, the tight supply and demand situation for memory chips will be difficult to alleviate in the short term. Analysts predict DRAM prices will rise another 40% to 50% in the third quarter, with no substantial relief expected before 2028.