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AI infrastructure spending by Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft ($650B in 2026 alone) is triggering a global memory chip crisis with direct consequences for consumers. OpenAI's Stargate project alone has contracted up to 40% of global DRAM output from Samsung and SK Hynix. Micron exited the consumer memory market entirely. DRAM contract prices are projected to surge 90-95% QoQ in Q1 2026, with PC DRAM up over 100% — a historic record. Smartphones face their biggest-ever shipment decline (12.9%), sub-$100 devices may become permanently uneconomical, GPU prices are up 35-79%, and laptop makers warn of 15-20% price hikes. Compounding factors include rising electricity bills from data centre energy demand and US tariffs adding 31-69% to consumer tech prices. New fabrication capacity won't arrive until 2027-2028, and there's no guarantee it will serve consumer markets. The crisis disproportionately harms developing-world consumers who depend on affordable devices for digital access.

Priced Out by AI: The Memory Chip Crisis Hitting Every Consumer

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