The dynamic development of artificial intelligence has led to an unprecedented crisis in the component market. Major manufacturers such as Micron Technology and Western Digital have announced the complete sell-out of HBM4 memory and hard drive inventories for 2026. This situation directly impacts the video game sector, delays console launches, and forces giants like Apple and Meta to shift product strategies towards smart wearable devices.

Exhaustion of Component Inventories

Companies Micron and Western Digital announced that production capacity for 2026 has been fully reserved by the AI sector.

Apple's New Wearable Devices

The conglomerate from Cupertino plans to introduce AR glasses, a smart pendant, and headphones with cameras in 2027.

Crisis in the Gaming Industry

Memory shortages are affecting the availability of the Steam Deck and could delay the launch of the PlayStation 6 and raise the price of the Switch 2.

The technology market is grappling with its largest supply shock in years, caused by the saturation of infrastructure for artificial intelligence. American conglomerate Micron Technology reported that all planned production of advanced HBM4 memory for 2026 has already been reserved by major cloud providers. A similar situation is reported by Western Digital and Seagate, which have sold out their hard drive resources, threatening hardware availability for individual customers. Rising RAM prices, reaching up to five times the original value in some segments, are hitting consumer electronics manufacturers. The global semiconductor shortage became a structural problem back in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the current crisis stems from the transformation of the computing model from traditional data centers to training clusters for language models. In response to shortages and market changes, Apple is preparing to launch a new category of devices. According to Bloomberg reports, the company is accelerating work on smart glasses, a camera pendant, and a new generation of AirPods headphones. These devices are intended to use the iPhone as the main computing hub, which will bypass problems with miniaturizing powerful AI processors. Meanwhile, Apple's competitor, Meta, plans to launch its first smartwatch with a built-in AI assistant as early as 2026, heralding a new era in the wearable technology segment. „At the March GTC 2026 conference, we will see products the world has never seen before.” — Jensen Huang The crisis does not spare the entertainment sector. Valve admitted that component shortages are hampering Steam Deck production, and analysts predict delays in upcoming console launches, including the PlayStation 6 and Nintendo Switch 2. Investors are reacting with uncertainty to the scale of capital expenditures by giants. Despite record revenues, Microsoft and Apple stocks are subject to high volatility, although CEOs such as William McDermott of ServiceNow are demonstrating faith in the market through personal purchases of company shares. Needham (old): 380, Needham (new): 450, Market Average: 415 5-fold — increase in RAM prices in selected market segments

Mentioned People

  • Jensen Huang — CEO of NVIDIA, announcing groundbreaking products at the GTC 2026 conference.
  • Mark Gurman — Bloomberg analyst specializing in Apple's product plans.
  • William McDermott — CEO of ServiceNow, who invested 3 million dollars in his own company's shares.