A recent report revealed that global PC shipments increased during the fourth quarter of 2025 — a surprising outcome considering the rising cost and shortage of RAM. However, when analyzed carefully, this growth makes complete sense.
Companies Acted Early to Avoid Bigger Problems
The entire tech market has been affected by the ongoing memory shortage. The rising price of RAM has created challenges for everyone — from manufacturers to end users. This makes it even more surprising that PC shipments rose during the last quarter of 2025.
According to data from IDC, global shipments reached 76.4 million units. Some have attributed this increase to the end of Windows 10 support, but IDC analysts believe the main reason was companies trying to stay ahead of potential tariff issues and the growing memory shortage already impacting production.
Although the holiday season usually drives higher demand, the surge at the end of 2025 was amplified by the worsening RAM shortage. Buyers and brands rushed to secure inventory before expected price hikes in 2026.
“Beyond the obvious pressure on prices of systems, already announced by certain manufacturers, we might also see PC memory specifications be lowered on average to preserve memory inventory on hand,” said Jean Philippe Bouchard, Vice President of Research at IDC. “The year ahead is shaping up to be extremely volatile.”
Many major companies, including HP and Apple, had already built up RAM inventories in anticipation of supply issues. However, this stockpile is expected to last only a few months. Once it runs out, prices are likely to rise sharply — something brands are trying to avoid to keep sales stable.
IDC’s forecast suggests that prices across the tech market will continue to increase throughout 2026. When things might return to normal remains uncertain — some experts predict 2027 or even 2028. Ultimately, the recovery will depend on how quickly the AI market stabilizes and memory production adapts to growing demand.
