Asger Risom
The warning signals that price increases may soon reach everyday devices, from smartphones and laptops to appliances.
Rising demand from artificial intelligence infrastructure is beginning to spill over into consumer electronics pricing. At CES 2026, Samsung acknowledged that the global race to build AI data centers is tightening supplies of critical memory components, pushing costs higher across the industry.
The warning signals that price increases may soon reach everyday devices, from smartphones and laptops to appliances.
Memory squeeze
Samsung said the pressure centers on memory chips, including DRAM and storage, which are essential to nearly all modern electronics. Those same components are now being purchased in massive volumes by AI data centers, which require large amounts of high-bandwidth memory to run advanced models.
As a result, less supply is available for consumer products, driving up prices throughout the supply chain.
Wonjin Lee, Samsung’s global marketing head, told reporters in Las Vegas that memory shortages are already raising costs. While the company prefers not to pass increases directly to consumers, he said Samsung is actively considering “repricing” products to reflect what he called a new economic reality, according to Bloomberg.
Costs already climbing
The impact is not theoretical. Samsung raised its own memory contract prices by as much as 60% late last year as the shortage intensified. Industry analysts expect further increases through 2026, Reuters reported, as AI-related demand continues to outpace new supply.
Memory is a foundational component not just for phones and PCs, but also for appliances, vehicles, and industrial systems, meaning higher prices can ripple across multiple product categories.
An industry-wide warning
Samsung is not alone in sounding the alarm. Other major manufacturers, including Dell, Lenovo, and Asus, have also warned that higher memory costs will likely lead to price increases for laptops and other consumer electronics.
Because most device makers rely on the same global memory suppliers, few companies are insulated from the trend.
What it means for consumers
The warning comes amid early speculation about Samsung’s next flagship devices. Reports around the Galaxy S26 lineup suggest possible price increases in some markets, though the company has not confirmed specific figures.
More broadly, analysts say the imbalance between AI infrastructure demand and consumer electronics supply is unlikely to ease soon. With significant new memory capacity not expected until at least 2027, higher prices could become the norm rather than a temporary spike.
For consumers, that means the cost of upgrading phones, laptops, and other connected devices may rise as AI reshapes how semiconductor resources are allocated.
Sources: Samsung, CES 2026, Bloomberg
