“RAMageddon” – a term used to describe the global shortage of Random Access Memory (RAM) spurred on by the demands of AI data centres – is causing tech companies of all shapes and sizes to sweat.
And, while the focus at present has been on the consumer impact, any small business providing laptops, phones and other expensive hardware to their staff may see sharp price increases in the coming months if they need to replenish their stock.
Some sectors, like hospitality, may also find that POS systems and card machine prices tick up sharply, as these machines also rely heavily on RAM to stay operating.
What is RAMageddon, and why is it happening?
RAMageddon is a term that has been floating around tech circles since the beginning of 2026, coined in response to the global shortage of RAM chips caused by the dominance of AI data centres and the subsequent rise in hardware costs for consumers.
In short, AI infrastructure, such as data centres, needs memory chips to operate. And they don’t just need a few – running a platform like ChatGPT uses huge amounts of memory. In December, for instance, OpenAI’s Stargate project was slated to consume 40% of the world’s entire Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) supply.
Essentially, this means that memory is incredibly scarce at the moment, and the way things are going, it looks like it’s only going to get scarcer.
What industries are going to be impacted?
Any company that provides laptops and smartphones for its staff are going to start to feel the pinch when it comes to the price of this technology. If you’re a business that has had to buy already this year, you may have already noticed higher prices. Some estimates suggest laptop costs could get 15-30% more expensive in the coming months.
Small businesses on a tight tech budget, buying the cheapest hardware out there, are likely to be disproportionately impacted. One of the knock-on impacts of the memory shortage and subsequent higher costs is the potential disappearance of the “entry-level” laptop market, as vendors and manufacturers simply can’t absorb the additional costs.
Businesses using backup drives and external storage – also used by a lot of small businesses – will also be affected by surging prices.
POS system hardware has already got more expensive over the past few years, and as the supply of memory gets even smaller, further rises could be right around the corner.
What can small businesses do to combat price hikes?
There are a few things businesses can do to ensure they’re prepared for these rising tech costs. An obvious first step is to extend the life of the computers, phones and servers where possible. If you can push your depreciation cycle a little further, now may be the time to do it. Replacing certain components, like batteries, rather than binning whole machines, may also be worthwhile as costs tick up.
The same goes for restaurants and other hospitality businesses using tablets and card machines for ordering; it might be smart to audit your stock and see where you can make some headway, if at all.
It may also be a smart move to buy what you had planned to buy in the next year as soon as possible. If you really do have devices that are on the way out, replacing them now is likely better than replacing them later. Another option, of course, is sourcing second-hand off-lease laptops, which typically cost significantly less but are perfectly serviceable for most use cases.
A final thing you can do is review what your teams are actually using their devices for. Sure, there will be people in your business that likely need high spec laptops – especially if they’re doing something like graphic design or animation – but a lot of small businesses are notoriously over spec’d, so you may be able to get away with using cheaper models.
