Overview
- Counterpoint Research reports Q1 2026 NAND revenue jumped 3.5 times year‑over‑year to $46 billion as large AI deployments drove heavy demand for flash storage.
- IDC now projects global PC shipments will drop about 11.3% for 2026 with a possible 20% year‑over‑year fall in Q4 as constrained memory supplies limit PC production.
- IDC and market data attribute the shortage to AI hyperscalers consuming the bulk of premium memory, with IDC estimating roughly 70% of high‑end DRAM will go to datacenters this year.
- Select low‑cost winners such as Apple’s MacBook Neo and aggressive models like the Dell XPS 13 are reducing some consumer pain, but average selling prices are still forecast to rise about 17% in 2026.
- Chinese supplier YMTC has grown to roughly a 13% NAND share and is pursuing an IPO to fund fabs, but industry lead times mean meaningful global capacity relief is not expected until around 2029–2030.