Laptops costlier as AI fuels chip demand

GENEVA — Laptops, smartphones and gaming consoles are becoming significantly more expensive as artificial intelligence (AI) data centers drive up demand for memory chips, squeezing supplies for consumer electronics. Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported Saturday that memory chips are being bought in large quantities for AI data centers, leaving fewer available for devices sold to consumers. “We were actually used to devices becoming cheaper,” Tomas Hochstenbach of Dutch tech site Tweakers said. “You are probably buying a worse device now than a year ago.” Price data from Tweakers’ Pricewatch shows consumers are paying €50 ($57), €100 or €200 more depending on the amount of memory, Hochstenbach said. Samsung’s Galaxy A models are €50 more expensive than last year’s versions despite having similar specifications and memory, while the PlayStation 5 costs €100 more than at the beginning of the year. Microsoft has also announced a €50 price increase for Xbox consoles in the Netherlands from August. Windows laptop makers are meanwhile installing 8 GB instead of 16 GB of memory while keeping prices unchanged, effectively offering less capable devices for the same price, the report said. Apple, which sells the same laptop models for longer than many Windows manufacturers, raised laptop prices by at least €100 last month. Major chipmakers expect shortages to persist as AI demand further grows, with Micron forecasting supply constraints through at least 2028, according to the report.