The AI race is causing a memory chip shortage — and that's bad news for the smartphone and PC industries

A RAM (random access memory) chip, commonly used in PCs.

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• As AI companies snap up memory chips, smartphone and PC makers face higher costs and tighter supply.
• IDC projected a 2026 contraction of the global smartphone market of up to 5.2%, and up to a 8.9% decrease for PCs.
• "This signals the end of an era of cheap, abundant memory and storage," IDC's report read.

Smartphone and PC makers are facing supply-chain pressures from the new kid on the block: AI companies.