Asus announces product price hikes starting January 5, and AI is to blame — RAM and storage cost pressure cited as main trigger for pricing increases

Asus has announced price hikes for its products starting January 5, attributing the increase to cost pressures on RAM and storage due to AI demand. The company has not specified the extent of the price adjustments but is following Dell's lead, which previously announced hikes of up to 30%. TrendForce predicts a decline in PC market growth due to surging memory prices, with laptop shipments expected to decrease by 5.4% to 10.1% year-on-year. The memory shortage has led to significant price increases in DRAM and NAND, prompting analysts to advise purchasing necessary upgrades promptly. The tech industry is exploring strategies to mitigate the impact of rising memory prices, such as selling pre-built PCs without RAM.