Memory and storage are the primary cost accelerators for servers and modern endpoint builds—especially for virtualization, VDI, and data-heavy workloads. AI infrastructure demand is absorbing supply chain capacity and tightening component availability. Every layer of the stack, including GPU modules, memory, networking, power, and cooling, has repriced sharply heading into 2026. This is not a temporary spike or a. Counterpoint warns that DDR5 RDIMM costs may surge 100% amid manufacturers' pivot to AI chips and Nvidia's memory-intensive AI server platforms, leaving enterprises with limited procurement leverage. AI is in very early innings; you just saw at GTC how much advances are being made in AI. And memory is a strategic asset; you need more memory, you need faster. Dell announced server price increases as early as December 2025, with Lenovo following suit in January. Samsung and SK Hynix raised prices on server dynamic random-access memory (DRAM).
[PDF Version]