Navigating the global component shortage: March update

The global component shortage that emerged in late 2025 has intensified. What began as an imbalance between supply and demand has now evolved into a sustained, industry‑wide constraint affecting devices, data centres, and transformation programmes worldwide. In our previous blog, we explored the origins of the shortage and what customers needed to know. Since then, the landscape has shifted at speed - commercially, operationally, and strategically.

This follow-up provides an updated view of the rapidly changing market conditions, how they are impacting organisations across sectors, and the practical ways Softcat is helping customers navigate continued volatility. It also sets the scene for our upcoming webinar, designed to give organisations timely, actionable guidance. In the meantime, here’s what’s new:

1. AI demand is redefining global component allocation

Over the last quarter, AI infrastructure build-out has accelerated faster than analysts predicted. According to the IDC, hyper-scalers are consuming such high volumes of DRAM and HBM that production has been diverted away from general-purpose memory used in laptops, smartphones, and servers. This is not a short-term anomaly but a longer-term, structural shift in allocation.

2. Prices have climbed sharply and continue to rise

Multiple industry sources report that component prices have risen anywhere from 50% to 300%, depending on memory type. Lead times that were previously measured in days or weeks are now stretching into months. Some manufacturers have indicated further increases as they prioritise higher‑value, AI-ready components. This has resulted in a reduced cost uplift between standard configurations and the newer AI-pcs entering the market last year.

3. Stock profiles are shifting across manufacturers

Standard and legacy models are increasingly scarce, with premium tier devices and next-generation chipsets dominating remaining stock. This shift complicates device refresh plans and impacts organisations with tightly controlled budgets. It also challenges modern build processes and will see organisations looking to operate multi-vendor environments - this brings it’s own challenges for patching, driver and BIOS updates and integration with existing processes.

4. Devices across all categories are affected

It’s no longer just datacentres and enterprise IT feeling the impact. Shortages are cascading into consumer and business devices including:

• Laptops and desktops
• Smartphones and tablets
• Gaming and specialist compute
• Networking equipment
• Industrial and embedded systems

Virtually everything that contains a memory module is now subject to price and availability risk.

What this means for customers

Across all segments, organisations are facing several challenges:

• Extended lead times creating project delays
• Increased device and server pricing affecting budgets
• Greater pressure on lifecycle planning
• Reduced availability of like-for-like replacement stock
• Difficulty refreshing ageing estate on schedule

But there is opportunity too - to step back, rethink refresh strategies, and optimise existing estates to reduce exposure to supply disruption.

To help organisations respond with clarity, we’re hosting a webinar exploring the component shortage in more detail - from what’s driving continued disruption, to the practical steps IT leaders can take to reduce risk, control costs, and plan more effectively in a volatile market.

Whether you’re mid-refresh, facing project delays, or simply want to understand what’s coming next, the sessions will provide timely insight and actionable guidance from Softcat specialists and industry experts.

Register for the webinar here. Or, if you’d prefer a conversation tailored to your organisation, get in touch with Softcat today to discuss your estate, upcoming plans, and how we can help you navigate the months ahead.