AI-Driven Memory Prices Cut Global PC Shipments 20% in Q3 2026

Both research firms link the contraction to the AI boom and its effect on chip and component prices. Omdia Research Director Ishan Dutt said the impact of upstream component cost increases has now fully worked its way through to end-market pricing. DRAM and SSDs are the main cause, Omdia said, with their share of a PC's total price rising from about 15 percent to 40 percent.

Omdia expects global DRAM revenue to top $372 billion this year, up from $151 billion last year, as growth from AI data centers continues. That demand has kept pressure on memory and storage supplies, feeding into higher PC prices and weaker sales. The PC market could face long-term price increases as a result.

IDC pointed to one possible short-term opening for buyers. Many OEMs have stockpiled components to offset rising costs, and they now face the challenge of moving that inventory. "Channels are concerned about high inventory and low demand, so promotions are possible," IDC said. Prices remain elevated compared with a year earlier, but the inventory overhang could produce temporary discounts before further increases.

Jitesh Ubrani, a consumer devices research director, said: "With macro conditions worsening, the risk is that the outlook for the next few quarters gets worse before it gets better."

IDC and Omdia differ slightly on the size of the year-over-year decline, at 20 percent and 21 percent, but both point to the same driver: AI-related demand for chips and components is reshaping the PC market.

Editor's Summary Global PC shipments fell about 20 percent year over year in the third quarter of 2026 as AI-driven DRAM and SSD price increases raised PC costs and reduced demand, according to IDC and Omdia. The two research firms reported slightly different declines but agreed the AI boom is behind the pressure. Stockpiled inventory could bring temporary promotions, though component costs and macro conditions are expected to keep the outlook difficult.