Your 2026 Hardware Plans Need A Rethink - Now

Memory supply is tightening fast, prices are climbing sharply, and lead times are already stretching into 2026 — with shortages expected to be more severe than in 2020. Here’s how to protect your roadmap.

The Next Infrastructure Squeeze Is Already Here 

After several years of volatile supply conditions, a more structural constraint is now emerging: global DRAM (server and PC memory) availability is tightening, and Subnet is being advised to prepare for an extended shortage that is likely to persist throughout 2026. 

At Canalys Forum APAC 2025 in Da Nang, industry analysts warned that there may be "no available memory in the market through 2026," driven by hyperscalers locking in supply — describing it as “a catastrophic event that will exceed the supply issues of 2020”.

This isn’t a short, seasonal spike. The market is being reshaped by AI infrastructure demand.

What’s Driving the Shortage? 

Three forces are colliding: 

1. AI data centres are consuming enormous DRAM volumes. 
   Global DRAM makers are prioritising high-margin AI and hyperscale customers, diverting production away from mainstream server and enterprise supply. 
   
   
2. Major manufacturers are reallocating capacity.
   Micron has announced it will wind down its Crucial consumer retail business to focus output on AI and data-centre demand, a clear signal of where memory capacity is going. Crucial shipments will continue only until early 2026.
   
   
3. Pricing momentum is already extreme.
   Server DRAM pricing has surged up to ~50% in late 2025, and analysts forecast further rises (some categories tracking +40% or more vs. today). Smaller OEMs and channel buyers are receiving partial allocations, forcing spot-market purchases at higher prices.

What This Means For Your Organisation in 2025–2026 

For your IT roadmap on devices, servers, storage, network gear, or expansion memory: 

• Longer lead times are likely, especially for higher-capacity DDR5 RDIMMs and enterprise-grade memory configurations.

• Config availability may narrow (vendors simplifying SKUs, raising minimum prices, discontinuing lower-cost builds).

• Budget risk increases as memory becomes a cost driver in almost every hardware refresh cycle. (ibselectronics.com) 

In short: waiting to order “when we’re ready” could mean being ready… and unable to buy. 

What You Should Do Now (A Practical Playbook) 

Subnet is advising customers to take four steps immediately: 

1) Build a buffer for device attrition 

Plan for failures and replacements. 

• Order spare laptops/desktops and critical RAM-dependent components now where possible. 

• Treat spares as insurance against 2026 outages. 

• Subnet can help identify which models/components are most exposed but all endpoint and servers will have exposure. 

2) Pull forward lifecycle replacements 

If you’re refreshing in late 2026, consider moving to January - March 2026. 

• Refresh earlier at known prices rather than later at unpredictable pricing and allocation. 

• Lock in configurations while they’re still broadly available. 

3) Re-prioritise budgets toward low-hardware programs 

If hardware supply or pricing becomes a blocker, shift spend to programs with minimal physical dependency, such as: 

• security uplift (Zero Trust, IAM hardening, MDR/SOC services) 

• cloud governance and resilience 

• application modernisation 

• endpoint management/automation 

These projects keep momentum even during supply shocks. 

4) Accelerate cloud moves, especially where it removes hardware risk 

For many organisations, cloud migration is now also a supply-chain strategy. 

• Moving workloads off on-prem gear reduces exposure to DRAM-driven delays. 

• If you’re already a Microsoft shop, Azure is often the fastest path to reduce on-prem refresh pressure while keeping licensing and identity consistent. 

Subnet can scope which workloads deliver the biggest “hardware-avoidance” win first, without compromising performance or compliance. 

How Subnet Can Help 

We’re already working with customers to: 

• assess DRAM exposure across refresh and expansion plans 

• spot “memory-heavy” risk lines in roadmaps and BOMs 

• secure stock early through our distributor network 

• redesign deployments to use cloud or hybrid alternatives 

• adjust multi-year budgets to reflect realistic price curves 

If you’d like a DRAM-risk review of your 2025–2027 plan, contact Subnet. 

It’s a short, practical session that helps you avoid the worst-case outcome: a paused project because the infrastructure simply isn’t available.