If you’ve been paying attention to the price of PCs and servers recently, you may have noticed RAM costs have risen sharply, in some cases, more than doubling in a verry short space of time. This isn’t a temporary blip, and it isn’t just down to consumer demand. The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is reshaping the global memory market, and businesses are starting to feel the impact.

At Edmondson’s, we’re already seeing how this shift is affecting IT budgets, refresh cycles and long term planning.

What’s Driving the Spike in RAM Prices?

The short answer is AI. Training and running modern AI systems requires vast amounts of high performance memory. Technologies like DDR5 and high bandwidth memory are essential for AI workloads, data centres and cloud platforms. As a result, major manufacturers have pivoted production away from standard consumer and business RAM and towards memory designed specifically for AI infrastructure.

This has reduced supply for traditional markets while demand remains steady, or is even increasing, particularly as Windows 11, modern applications and security tools all require more memory than their predecessors. Less supply and consistent demand naturally pushes prices up.

Industry analysts expect this imbalance to continue for several years with some forecasters suggesting elevated memory prices lasting until at least 2028.

Why this Matters for your Businesses

Rising RAM prices don’t just affect large tech business and data centres, they effect everyone. A new PC or server upgrade that made financial sense a year ago may cost significantly more now. Expanding memory to improve performance, support remote working or run modern software can suddenly feel expensive. Even replacement hardware is impacted, as manufacturers pass increased component costs onto customers.

This can lead to businesses delaying upgrades, using ageing equipment for longer, increasing the risk of downtime, performance issues and security risks.

The Hidden Cost of Waiting

With increased prices, it’s tempting to put upgrades on hold, however waiting could still cost you more in the long run. Older systems typically use less efficient memory, struggle with modern workloads and are more likely to fail. They can also limit productivity, especially for staff using cloud services, VoIP systems and data heavy applications.

There’s also the risk that prices rise further. Many suppliers are already warning of additional increases as AI investments accelerate globally and manufactures struggle to keep up with demand.

What We Recommend

It’s important to identify systems that are nearing the end of their life and prioritise upgrades that will deliver the most value. In some cases, securing equipment now can lock in costs before further increases. In others, careful optimisation of existing systems, such as targeted RAM upgrades or workload rebalancing, can extend usable life without unnecessary cost.

We work closely with local businesses to provide clear, honest advice, not upselling, just practical planning based on real world conditions. Whether that’s a quick review of your current setup or a longer term roadmap, the goal is to keep your IT reliable, secure and cost effective, even in a volatile market.

Don’t get caught out

RAM price rises driven by AI aren’t headline grabbing, but their impact is real. Businesses that act early are far better placed to control costs than those forced into urgent replacements later.

If you’d like to understand how this affects your systems, we’re is here to help. A short review now could save you money in the long run.