Component supply is being diverted toward datacenters, squeezing the consumer market

PC buyers can expect price hikes as chipmakers continue to prioritize AI production over all else, restricting the supply of key components across the tech industry.

Analyst Context says existing inventory initially buffered markets across Europe, however, prices are inflating as older stock depletes - and it forecasts further inflation as the year progresses.

The average UK distributor consumer desktop price, for example, rose almost eight percent year-on-year in the five weeks of 2026 to £565 ($767), while laptops edged up 1.1 percent to £454 ($619) "reflecting continued sell-through of stock purchased before component costs escalated."

Counterpoint Research said today that memory prices have soared 80 to 90 percent this year versus Q4, with DRAM, NAND, and HBM all hitting new highs.

Constraints on specific configurations, alongside emerging CPU availability issues, are expected to limit choice and increase pricing pressure from Q2 onward, according to Context.

"Manufacturers are prioritizing production ...