Brace for a barren landscape of new hardware launches, as AI demand reshapes the world of consumer electronics — trillions in AI investment threaten to derail entire industries

CES 2026 showcased a scarcity of new hardware launches, with AI dominating the consumer electronics landscape. The demand for AI chips is reshaping industries, leading to trillions in investments that threaten to disrupt entire sectors. The ongoing shortage of NAND and DRAM chips, driven by AI chip demand, is impacting various industries, including gaming, electronics, and automotive. Smaller electronics manufacturers are particularly vulnerable to rising costs and lower product demand, with the future outlook uncertain. The insatiable appetite for chips in AI deployments, driven by the need for fast compute performance and large model sizes, is further exacerbating the chip supply crisis.