Asus has announced significant price increases for select solid-state drives (SSDs) and DRAM kits, effective from January 5, 2026. This decision comes in response to sharp rises in memory chip costs, which have been exacerbated by supply chain disruptions and a surge in demand for AI hardware. The Taiwanese manufacturer confirmed that the adjustments are necessary to maintain product quality and service levels amid ongoing shortages.
The hardware market is currently facing challenging conditions, with prices of memory components rising dramatically. According to TrendForce, prices for DRAM components surged by up to 171 percent by early November, while NAND flash prices increased by as much as 246 percent by mid-December. This inflation within the memory sector has led to memory accounting for nearly 20 percent of the total material costs of a PC.
Asus is not the only company adjusting its pricing strategy. Dell implemented price increases of up to 30 percent in mid-December, while laptop manufacturer Framework has stopped selling RAM individually and adjusted its pricing accordingly. These moves indicate a broader trend affecting the entire PC market.
Market Dynamics and Future Projections
Asus cited structural changes in the global supply chain as the primary reason for the rising costs. The increased demand for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) has prompted manufacturers to redirect production capacities, leading to bottlenecks in traditional DRAM and NAND flash supplies. Following a comprehensive review of market conditions, Asus has decided to implement strategic price adjustments to ensure stable supply and maintain quality.
Market research indicates that the situation may not improve soon. TrendForce has revised its forecast for notebook shipments in 2026, projecting a decline of between 5.4 to 10.1 percent compared to last year. As a result, both new purchases and upgrades are becoming significantly more expensive for consumers. Analysts predict that the price situation may only start to ease in the latter half of 2026.
Consumer Impact and Adaptations
In light of rising costs, many consumers are reverting to older hardware generations to avoid the premium associated with newer technologies like DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0 SSDs. Processors from the Zen 3 generation, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, are gaining renewed interest due to their favorable price-performance ratio. This shift has also influenced the used market, where older models sometimes command higher prices than their newer counterparts.
System integrators are adapting to these market dynamics by selling PCs without pre-installed RAM, allowing customers to use existing modules. Asus is extending the availability of DDR4 motherboards to provide more affordable options. Co-CEO Samson Hu stated that the company is flexibly adjusting its product mix in response to volatile market conditions, which may help mitigate some of the pricing pressures faced by consumers.
As the memory crisis continues to unfold, consumers may need to navigate a landscape marked by elevated prices and limited availability. The strategies employed by companies like Asus may offer some respite, but for now, the impact of rising costs is being felt across the PC market.
