Compal Computer, a Taiwanese notebook and PC contract manufacturer, said the trend of rising memory chip prices will continue until 2027 and will have a significant impact on the entire industry. The company expects global notebook and PC shipments to decline slightly by single digits in 2026.
Compal Computer CEO Anthony Peter Bonadero said: "We believe that the entire market is bound to be affected." He also added that thanks to the advantage of its customer structure, Compal's own laptop and personal computer business is expected to remain stable or achieve slight growth.
Bonadero said: "The current memory chip market is in an unprecedented super cycle."
The world's three largest memory chip manufacturers - Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology - have all said in recent months that companies are struggling to meet market demand due to tight supply of memory chips due to the construction boom of artificial intelligence data centers.
Bonadero pointed out: "We expect that the memory chip price fluctuations that occurred at the end of 2025 will continue in the future, and the three major memory chip manufacturers will give priority to ensuring the production and supply of high-bandwidth memory chips (HBM) required for artificial intelligence servers."
Memory chip costs typically account for 15% to 18% of a personal computer's bill of materials, he said, and that could now climb to as high as 35% to 40%.