Quick Answer: Global RAM prices have increased 3-4x since mid-2025, driven by AI data center demand. Indian laptop buyers can expect 15-30% price increases by mid-2026. If you need a new laptop, experts recommend buying now—waiting will likely cost you more.
Your next laptop is about to get significantly more expensive. Not because manufacturers are getting greedy. Not because of tariffs or supply chain hiccups. But because somewhere in a data center, an AI model is hungry—and it's eating all the RAM.
Here's the thing: the global memory market has fundamentally shifted. The same DRAM chips that power your laptop are now being diverted to train AI models, and manufacturers have decided those AI companies are worth serving first. For Indian consumers planning to buy a laptop in 2026, this creates a genuinely difficult situation.
What's Actually Happening to RAM Prices?
The numbers are striking. A 32GB DDR5 RAM kit that cost ₹6,000-7,000 in early 2025 now sells for ₹29,000-30,000 on Amazon.in and Flipkart. That's not a typo—prices have quadrupled in roughly three months. According to TeamGroup's General Manager Gerry Chen, contract prices for DRAM and NAND products increased 80-100% month-on-month in December 2025 alone.
IDC's analysis paints a grim picture for 2026. Under their pessimistic scenario, the global PC market could shrink by nearly 9%, with average laptop prices rising 6-8%. Major vendors aren't waiting around—Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, and Asus have already warned customers of 15-20% price hikes coming in the second half of 2026.
For India specifically, Counterpoint Research analyst Anshika Jain estimates that rising memory prices will reduce overall PC demand by 6-8%, with the consumer segment hit hardest. Gaming PC upgrades are expected to slow by 10-15%.
Why AI Is Eating Your RAM
But here's what nobody's talking about. This isn't just about supply and demand. It's about a deliberate strategic choice by the three companies that control the global memory market: Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.
These manufacturers have discovered that AI infrastructure pays better. Way better. When OpenAI or Google comes knocking with an open-ended order for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), they'll pay whatever it takes. Every wafer allocated to an HBM stack for an Nvidia GPU is a wafer denied to the LPDDR5X module of your next laptop.
The math is brutal. Producing 1GB of HBM consumes approximately 4x the wafer capacity required to produce 1GB of standard DDR5. GDDR7 (used in graphics cards) requires 1.7x. And AI companies aren't just buying more—they're signing multi-year contracts that lock in supply years in advance. According to TrendForce, AI workloads will consume nearly 20% of global DRAM output by 2026.
Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta have placed what Reuters describes as "open-ended orders"—they'll accept as much memory as suppliers can provide, regardless of cost. OpenAI's Stargate project alone could require 900,000 DRAM wafers per month, potentially 40% of global output.
The Crucial Exit: A Warning Sign
Not so fast—this gets worse. In December 2025, Micron announced it's exiting the consumer memory market entirely. The Crucial brand, which has served PC builders and upgraders for 29 years, will stop shipping products through retail channels by February 2026.
"Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments," said Sumit Sadana, Micron's Chief Business Officer.
Translation: AI companies pay more, so consumers are getting dropped.
This leaves only Samsung and SK Hynix as major suppliers for consumer DRAM. Less competition typically means higher prices—and neither company has shown interest in prioritizing consumer products over lucrative data center contracts.
What This Means for Indian Laptop Buyers
Stay with me here, because this is where it matters for your wallet.
The immediate impact is price increases. A laptop that costs ₹60,000 today could reach ₹72,000-78,000 by mid-2026 if current trends continue. But manufacturers know Indian consumers are price-sensitive, so many will try a different approach: shrinkflation.
Avril Wu, senior research vice president at TrendForce, predicts that manufacturers will quietly reduce specifications to maintain price points. That ₹60,000 laptop you buy in 2026 might look identical to the 2025 model, but under the hood it could have 8GB RAM instead of 16GB, or a smaller SSD.
Counterpoint Research has already documented this trend in smartphones, noting "downgrades of components like camera modules, displays, and audio components" to keep prices stable. The same will happen with laptops.
For budget-conscious Indian buyers, this creates a double squeeze. Cheap laptops are disappearing (manufacturers are dropping lower-end SKUs entirely), and mid-range devices are getting worse specs just to maintain their prices.
When Will Prices Normalize?
Here's the catch: probably not anytime soon.
TeamGroup's Gerry Chen projects the current shortages to extend into late 2027 and potentially beyond. IDC suggests the supply constraints could persist "well into 2027." Phison Electronics' CEO claims NAND will face severe shortages "for the next ten years."
Building new memory fabs takes at least 2-3 years. Micron's new Idaho facility won't start production until mid-2027. Even if demand dropped tomorrow, the supply side simply cannot catch up quickly.
Some analysts believe memory cycles eventually correct—prices spike, capacity expands, prices crash. But this time feels different. Memory manufacturers have been burned by previous boom-bust cycles where they expanded capacity only to watch prices collapse. They're being deliberately cautious about adding capacity, even as prices soar.
The People Also Ask Section
Should I Buy a Laptop Now or Wait?
If you know you'll need a laptop in 2026, the consensus among industry experts is clear: buy now. The holiday discounting you see today is likely "the last time we'll see aggressive discounting before the new pricing reality sets in," according to OpenBrand's Bissett.
Consider this: the "worst case" for buying now is that prices drop and you overpaid slightly. The worst case for waiting is paying 20-30% more, or getting a laptop with significantly worse specs at the same price.
What About Refurbished or Older Models?
This is actually smart advice. Year-on-year improvements in laptops are typically incremental, and many consumers won't notice the difference. A 2024 model purchased in 2026 at a discount could offer better value than a spec-downgraded 2026 model at full price.
Are Local Shops Cheaper Than Online?
Potentially yes. Retailers in places like Nehru Place (Delhi), Lamington Road (Mumbai), or SP Road (Bangalore) may still have stock purchased 6 months ago at older prices. Unlike Amazon and Flipkart, which update prices dynamically, local shops often maintain older pricing until inventory clears.
Will Apple Products Be Affected?
Apple has long-term supply agreements that provide some insulation, but analyst Jukan suggests these contracts are "expiring" and Samsung/SK Hynix plan to raise memory prices for Apple starting January 2026. MacBook and iPhone prices may rise in 2026, or Apple may delay RAM upgrades (keeping Pro models at 12GB instead of moving to 16GB).
The Bottom Line for India
The 2026 RAM crisis isn't a blip—it's a structural shift in how the memory industry operates. AI infrastructure has become the priority customer, and consumers are being deprioritized.
For Indian buyers, this means higher prices, reduced specifications, and fewer choices. The budget segment is being squeezed hardest, as thin-margin brands like Xiaomi, Realme, and Lenovo pass costs to consumers.
If you need a laptop, smartphone, or any device with significant RAM, the window for 2025 pricing is closing. We'll update this guide as manufacturers announce specific pricing changes for the Indian market.
Sound familiar? If you've been putting off that laptop purchase, now might be the time to stop waiting.