①The latest information shows that, driven by the soaring prices of DRAM and NAND due to AI industry demand, Dell will raise the prices of its commercial PCs and laptops starting from December 17; ②The increase will depend on the specifications of memory chips, with an estimated rise of approximately 10%-30%.
According to the latest news on Friday, faced with the rapid surge in storage chip prices, American computer hardware manufacturers...$Dell Technologies (DELL.US)$Starting from December 17, there will be a comprehensive increase in the prices of the commercial product line. The price increase will be approximately between 10% and 30%, depending on the storage parameters of the computer configuration.
The main drivers behind this round of price increases are the skyrocketing costs of two types of chips: DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), commonly referred to as memory sticks, which typically require 8GB to 32GB per computer; and NAND (non-volatile flash memory), used for solid-state drive storage, with common configurations of 512GB or 1TB. Due to the surge in demand for building large-scale AI data centers, tech companies are stockpiling memory and storage chips at a rapid pace, squeezing supply in the consumer market.
According to the quotations obtained by insiders, Dell Pro and Pro Max laptops and desktops equipped with 32GB of memory will see price increases ranging from $130 to $230 per unit. If customers opt for the top-tier configuration with 128GB of memory, the price per unit will rise by $520 to $765.
The impact of hard drive price hikes is also evident, with notebooks configured with 1TB storage seeing overall price increases of $55 to $135.
There is no doubt that the storage of independent graphics cards has also been impacted by price increases. Reports indicate that they are equipped with 6GB of memory.$NVIDIA (NVDA.US)$The AI notebook with the RTX PRO 500 Blackwell GPU will increase in price by $66, while the model equipped with a 24GB GPU will see a price increase of $530.
It is reported that Dell's management sent an internal communication to sales staff on November 25, outlining the “key next steps” they should take prior to the price hike. The letter also stated that the “global supply of memory and storage is tightening rapidly,” and contract prices for DRAM and NAND chips have “risen significantly this quarter.” Suppliers have also hinted at further price increases and potential rationing restrictions driven by AI-related demand.
Technology market research firm Counterpoint had forecasted that DRAM prices would rise by 30% in the last quarter of 2025, while year-to-date increases have already reached 50%.
The letter also warned that placing orders now for future delivery will not lock in current prices but may help customers prepare for the anticipated sharp rise in memory prices.
An anonymous Dell salesperson revealed that there was initially a wave of panic buying that helped customers purchase remaining inventory, but the current situation is now considered “out of control.” The employee noted that Dell is internally absorbing some of the cost increases by compressing profit margins and limiting the discounts available to sales personnel.
Although the revelations on Friday pointed to Dell's commercial product line, namely PCs and laptops sold to enterprise customers, this round of memory price surges is driving up prices across the entire PC market.
In response to the latest rumors, a Dell spokesperson stated, "Like other companies in the industry, Dell will adopt targeted pricing measures when necessary, while maintaining supply continuity and adhering to our commitment to customer value."
During the Q3 earnings call in November this year, Dell's Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke noted that the market's price increases were 'unprecedented.' He remarked, 'We have not seen costs change at this rate. Demand far exceeds supply.'
Editor/Joryn
