Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Dell Raise Prices Collectively; IDC Warns Global Memory Shortage May Persist Until 2027

Odaily News: The surge in AI computing demand has driven memory chip prices sharply higher, with upstream pricing pressure transmitting to downstream end devices. Recently, Amazon raised prices on multiple hardware products. Among them, the entry-level model with the highest sales volume in the Echo smart speaker series saw the largest increase, rising from $49.99 to $79.99 (approximately RMB 538), an increase of about 60%. The 16GB base version of the e-reader rose from $109.99 to $149.99 (approximately RMB 1,000), an increase of about 36%.

Prior to Amazon's price hikes, tech companies including Apple, Microsoft, and Dell had already responded to cost pressures by raising product prices and reducing standard memory configurations in hardware. Market research firm IDC had previously warned that the global memory shortage may persist until 2027, and industry forecasts indicate that memory chip prices could peak in 2028 before gradually stabilizing and falling. (CCTV Finance)