Apple warns of price hikes as AI-driven chip shortage sends memory costs soaring - 點新聞

Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that the company plans to raise product prices due to soaring memory chip costs driven by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. In an intervie... Read original →

The AI infrastructure boom has triggered a structural memory shortage, with ripple effects extending from HBM3e to LPDDR5X and NAND, forcing consumer electronics makers like Apple to absorb cost surges in 3nm products. Export controls on advanced packaging and EUV tools by the U.S. and EU are fragmenting supply chains, while TSMC (Taiwan, China) and Samsung struggle with yield ramp delays despite capacity expansion. Strategically, Microsoft and Google are fortifying moats via vertically integrated AI accelerators and memory stacks, leaving Apple exposed due to its reliance on external AI silicon. Over the next 12–24 months, elevated memory pricing will institutionalize an 'AI tax'—premium smartphones and PCs will sustain higher ASPs, not as a blip but as a new norm, accelerating consolidation and squeezing smaller OEMs out of the market.