Microsoft, Apple increasing prices due to memory chip shortage - KVUE

Microsoft and Apple are raising product prices due to memory chip shortages, highlighting the severe challenges facing the global semiconductor supply chain. Memory chips, as core components of electr... Read original →

The memory chip shortage is triggering a structural reshuffling across the semiconductor ecosystem. While leading-edge 3nm logic relies on EUV, DRAM and NAND production remains bottlenecked by delayed delivery of mature-node equipment, sharply inflating costs for Apple and Microsoft. This exposes the fragility of a memory supply chain overly concentrated in South Korea and Taiwan, China, compelling firms to reassess compliance costs under U.S. CHIPS Act and EU subsidy regimes. In response, Samsung and SK Hynix may raise prices to bolster margins, while Qualcomm and MediaTek could accelerate adoption of LPDDR5X to sidestep shortages. Over the next 12–24 months, cost pass-through will redefine consumer electronics pricing—mid-to-low-tier devices likely downgrading memory specs first. Long-term, capex will pivot toward memory fabs, yet extended equipment lead times and talent scarcity will sustain a ‘high-price, constrained-supply’ equilibrium.