AI memory demand keeps PC prices high through 2027, IDC says
Preliminary IDC figures show worldwide PC shipments fell 20.1% year over year in the third quarter of 2026 to about 62.7 million units, down from 78.5 million a year earlier, with Lenovo, HP and Dell shipments down 22.6%, 30.9% and 25% respectively. IDC partly attributes the drop to vendors and distributors pulling inventory forward into the first half of 2026 ahead of expected memory price increases, and it projects an 18.3% rise in average PC selling prices for 2026, with meaningful relief from memory shortages unlikely before the end of 2027. The report says AI data-center demand for DRAM and NAND capacity is competing with consumer devices for supply, and advises buyers to weigh current performance, memory and storage needs and total cost against today's discounts rather than waiting for an uncertain price recovery.
Memory and PC costs are tied directly to AI infrastructure spending, showing how the buildout's supply-chain effects reach ordinary consumer and enterprise hardware budgets.