HP says RAM now accounts for more than a third of its PC costs

The cost of PC components has been skyrocketing as AI infrastructure buildout creates extraordinary demand amid limited supply. HP says that squeeze is now hitting PC memory especially hard, with RAM now accounting for 35 percent of a system’s overall cost.

“We did share last quarter that memory and storage costs made up roughly 15 percent to 18 percent of our PC bill of materials, and we now currently estimate this to be roughly 35 percent for the year,” said CFO Karen Parkhill on the company’s . She also confirmed that part of the company’s response will be price increases. Samsung of potential price increases due to AI-induced memory shortages.

Higher prices have unfortunately for PC shoppers, especially in 2026, and the is playing a major role. HP interim CEO Bruce Broussard that while he “believe the market will rationalize over time” the company is doing its best to add new suppliers as well as expand lower cost-sourcing for memory.

HP executives also said they are seeing stronger AI PC demand, saying 35 percent of HP’s PC sales are coming from AI PCs. This comes as the industry is seeing mixed signals, like Dell saying that consumers about AI PCs.

AI has been eating up the of memory and companies like Micron have even abandoned their to focus entirely on B2B supply. Other components like have also been feeling the pressure.