Why Industrial Memory & Storage Costs Are Rising: What You Need to Know in 2026
Across the global semiconductor market, pricing pressure is intensifying — and the industrial PC sector is feeling it more than ever. From DDR RAM to industrial SSDs and even general CPU and GPU availability, costs are climbing rapidly. With NAND flash supply tightening and manufacturers reducing output, the entire supply chain is entering a new period of sustained price increases.
For OEMs, system integrators, and industrial customers planning long-term projects, understanding why prices are rising has never been more important.
NAND Flash Prices Are Surging — and Industrial SSDs Are Hit First
TrendForce and multiple industry sources report sharp, ongoing price increases in NAND flash — the core component of all SSDs, eMMC, and UFS storage devices. With major memory makers slowing expansion and cutting back production through late 2025, supply is tightening dramatically.
What’s happening to NAND supply?
- Samsung, SK hynix, Kioxia, and Micron have cut NAND output in the second half of 2025.
- NAND contract prices rose 15% last quarter alone.
- First quarter of 2026 is expected to see double-digit price increases across all SSD categories.
- Some big tech customers are already securing 2027 allocations due to expected shortages.
For industrial customers, the impact is immediate. Industrial SSDs rely on:
- Higher-grade NAND
- Longer lifecycle availability
- Extended temperature support
- High endurance requirements
DDR Memory Costs Are Climbing Too — and Industrial DRAM Feels the Pressure
DDR memory prices have been increasing steadily since mid-2025, and industrial-grade modules are seeing the largest rises. Reports indicate DRAM prices are climbing 5–10% per quarter, with modules now sitting at around £10 per GB, depending on temperature rating and form factor.
Why industrial DRAM is particularly affected
- Industrial DRAM uses tighter binning, reducing yield
- Long lifecycle and extended temperature SKUs are costlier to produce
- AI workloads and cloud expansion are consuming available DRAM supply
- Manufacturers are prioritising higher-margin server and AI memory, limiting industrial availability
For embedded systems, panel PCs, IPCs, and edge devices, this means budgeting for memory upgrades now requires significantly higher forecasting.
CPU and GPU Constraints Add More Pressure
The same market forces driving memory shortages are affecting processor availability:
CPUs are harder to obtain
- Embedded CPUs are experiencing extended lead times
- Low-power and long-life industrial processors are seeing slower replenishment
- Intel and AMD are steering production toward AI-centric parts
GPU prices are expected to rise sharply
- AI demand is consuming GPU manufacturing capacity
- Industrial GPU modules and edge AI accelerators are following mainstream price increases
- Lead times are extending into late 2026 for specialist SKUs
This ripple effect pushes up pricing for complete industrial systems, especially where GPU-based vision, automation, or edge inference workloads are involved.
Why Prices Are Rising: The Key Market Drivers
1. AI is consuming enormous amounts of NAND, DRAM, and compute
Large data centres and AI clusters are buying memory and storage in unprecedented quantities, reducing market availability for other sectors.
2. NAND manufacturers are limiting expansion
Following years of oversupply and low margins, suppliers are now:
- Cutting output
- Reducing capex
- Focusing on process upgrades rather than capacity increases
3. Industrial-grade components have lower yield and longer lifecycles
As consumer products shift quickly through generations, industrial hardware remains in production for many years. Maintaining these long-life SKUs is expensive and increasingly difficult under tight supply.
4. SSD makers are shifting toward QLC for AI markets
QLC NAND is ideal for high-capacity AI storage, so:
- TLC supply becomes more restricted
- Industrial demands (which rarely use QLC) face rising prices
How Rising Costs Impact Industrial PC Projects
Industrial projects typically rely on long-term stability, predictable pricing, and guaranteed product availability. These price increases create several challenges:
- Higher BOM costs for systems with multiple SSDs or large memory footprints
- Increased pricing volatility for long-term projects with fixed budgets
- Longer lead times on industrial-grade CPUs, RAM, and SSDs
- Potential redesign cycles if certain SKUs become unavailable
How BVM Can Help
If your industrial PC projects rely on stable supply and predictable BOM costs, now is the time to plan ahead.
📞 Call our team on 01489 780144 or 📧 Email us at sales@bvmltd.co.uk
BVM works directly with leading manufacturers to secure industrial-grade RAM, SSDs, CPUs, and embedded modules, even during volatile market conditions. Our team can help you:
- Identify long-life memory and storage options suitable for your application
- Select industrial SSDs and DRAM with stable supply chains
- Plan engineering alternatives if certain parts become constrained
BVM — Your Industrial & Embedded Computing Partner for Over 35 Years
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BVM supply a wide and diverse range of Industrial and Embedded Systems. From Industrial Motherboards, SBCs and Box PCs, to Rack Mount computers and Industrial Panel PCs. If you cant find an off the shelf product that meets your specific requirements speak with our in house design team who can customize an existing product or design a new product from start to finish.
You can call us on +(0) 1489 780 144, E-mail us at sales@bvmltd.co.uk or Use our contact form here