A CPU shortage is now a reality with AI data centers reportedly having an increased demand, as GPUs are no longer the bottleneck for continued advancement of their technologies. The AI boom is continuing to wreak havoc on PC components and seems to be making its way through several different aspects of the hardware.
Where GPUs were once the only item that saw price hikes, AI data centers eventually needed more RAM and more storage to keep up with advancement. This has led to drastically increased prices of not only the RAM and storage hardware, but just about any consumer electronic that contains them. New laptops and desktops are significantly more expensive than they were last year.
Some storage devices having seen triple prices. The Samsung 990 Pro, for example, is now over $600 for a 2TB model without a heatsink. And this is a three-year-old SSD. Lenovo’s 2TB Legion Go 2 launched at under $1,500. Just yesterday it was spotted for an increased price of $2,849.99. Now, it looks like CPUs are next.
A CPU shortage due to AI demand for processors could lead to price hikes
It’s worth noting that a CPU shortage is happening in the cloud segment. This is probably not going to impact the consumer segment directly. Meaning there may not be a shortage of consumer CPUs on the market. However, prices hikes are still quite possible. A shortage in the cloud segment means manufacturers will potentially divert raw materials to make more CPUs for AI data center customers.
That will mean less overall material to make consumer CPUs. Which in turn would lead to higher demand with shorter supply, and therefore possible increases in price because there is less to go around. The same thing has happened with GPUs, SSDs, and RAM kits.
According to Wccftech, Amazon “tripled its CPU servers” and still ran out as Agentic AI data centers need more and more. Microsoft and Amazon have reportedly sold their entire CPU supply to AI firms. There aren’t necessarily any price changes for CPUs just yet, but don’t be surprised if price increases are just around the corner.
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