For many years, businesses have been able to approach IT hardware replacement relatively simply. When a computer, server, switch or other device was due for replacement, new equipment could often be ordered and delivered within days.
That assumption is becoming less reliable.
During 2026, the technology industry has experienced substantial increases in the price of memory and storage components, particularly DRAM and NAND flash. At the same time, manufacturers are dealing with increasing demand from data centres and AI infrastructure, limited manufacturing capacity and longer component lead times.
For businesses, this doesn’t necessarily mean that computers or other IT equipment will suddenly become unavailable. However, it does mean that pricing and availability may become more unpredictable.
What’s causing the problem?
Modern IT equipment relies heavily on a relatively small number of semiconductor manufacturers.
DRAM is used as working memory in computers, servers, networking equipment and many other electronic devices, while NAND flash is used in SSDs and embedded storage found throughout modern IT equipment.
Demand for both has increased significantly, particularly from large data centres and AI infrastructure.
Manufacturers have also been prioritising higher-value server and data centre products, which can reduce the amount of manufacturing capacity available for more traditional products.
Industry analysts currently expect DRAM supply to remain tight into 2027.
NAND flash supply is also constrained during 2026, although additional manufacturing capacity may begin improving the situation later in 2027. Even the world’s largest technology companies are not completely insulated from these supply pressures. Apple has reportedly faced tighter memory availability and increasing component costs despite its enormous purchasing power and long-term supplier relationships.
If manufacturers of that scale are having to plan around constrained supply, smaller technology vendors and lower-volume product categories may be even more vulnerable to longer lead times or intermittent availability.
It isn’t just computers
The most obvious effect is currently being seen in computers and servers.
Memory and SSDs represent a meaningful portion of the cost of a modern computer, so large increases in component pricing can quickly translate into higher prices for complete systems.
However, the issue goes considerably further than laptops and desktops.
Modern IT equipment commonly contains some combination of:
- DRAM
- NAND or embedded flash storage
- processors and controllers
- networking chipsets
- power management components
This includes equipment such as routers, firewalls, network switches, wireless access points, NAS devices, security appliances and other embedded systems.
A device doesn’t need to contain large amounts of memory for a shortage to affect its availability. If a manufacturer cannot obtain one particular component required to build the product, production can be delayed regardless of how inexpensive that individual component may be.
There are already signs of shortages affecting some older types of NAND flash commonly used in industrial and networking equipment.
Mechanical hard drives are affected too
Another less obvious area of pressure is mechanical hard drive supply.
High-capacity hard drives remain heavily used by data centres, backup systems, NAS devices and large storage platforms.
Strong data centre demand can therefore affect the availability and pricing of enterprise and NAS hard drives as manufacturing capacity is committed further in advance.
For businesses using servers or NAS systems, this is another reason not to assume that a particular replacement drive will always be immediately available.
Start planning six months ahead
Where practical, we now recommend that businesses begin considering significant IT hardware replacements at least six months before they are actually required.
This does not necessarily mean ordering equipment six months in advance.
Instead, it provides time to:
- assess what equipment actually needs replacement
- prepare budgets
- check current pricing
- identify suitable replacement products
- account for manufacturer and distributor lead times
- consider alternative products if a preferred model is unavailable
For larger projects involving multiple computers, servers, storage or networking equipment, additional planning time may be worthwhile.
Review equipment over five years old
This is also a good opportunity to review the age of existing IT infrastructure.
Five years isn’t an automatic expiry date for IT equipment. Many devices can operate reliably for considerably longer.
However, once important equipment reaches this age, it is worth understanding what would happen if it failed.
Examples include:
- servers
- NAS and backup systems
- firewalls and routers
- network switches
- wireless infrastructure
- business-critical desktop computers
- specialised workstations
A five-year-old switch working perfectly today may continue doing so for years.
But if that switch connects an entire office and fails tomorrow, the more important questions are whether a replacement is readily available and how quickly the business can recover.
The same applies to routers, firewalls and storage systems.
Avoid replacing hardware during an emergency
The worst time to choose new IT infrastructure is after the existing equipment has already failed.
Emergency replacements reduce the available choices.
Instead of selecting equipment based on suitability, reliability and long-term requirements, the decision can become:
What can we get today?
That can lead to compromises, higher costs and unnecessary downtime.
Planning ageing equipment ahead of time allows a replacement to be budgeted, ordered and installed on the business’s terms rather than waiting for a failure to dictate the schedule.
What should businesses do now?
There is no need to rush out and replace perfectly functioning equipment simply because component prices are increasing.
The more useful approach is to understand what your business currently has.
Identify the age of important IT equipment, determine which devices represent single points of failure and consider what would happen if they became unavailable.
Equipment that is approaching or exceeding five years old should generally be reviewed as part of this process.
For equipment already expected to be replaced during the next 6–12 months, beginning that conversation now provides much more flexibility if pricing increases further or particular products develop longer lead times.
Rabbit MSP can assist with reviewing existing IT infrastructure, identifying ageing or business-critical equipment and planning replacements before they become urgent.