Rising memory prices are reshaping the global PC market: stronger first-half notebook shipments are propping up revenue, but surging component costs threaten gross margins and are prompting cautious second-half planning by ODMs and brands, which are increasingly pivoting toward AI servers for relatively better profitability despite similar inflationary pressures and uncertainty.

As AI server orders surge, system assembly makers are finding that more business does not always mean better profits. High-priced GPUs and soaring memory costs are pushing up revenue without lifting manufacturing fees at the same pace, leaving original design manufacturers (ODMs) facing lower gross margins as assembly orders grow.