📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Vitaly Zdanevich
Technology
Intel's Budget Laptop Chips Sold Out Amid RAM Shortage, Driving PC Prices Higher
✍️ India Today
🗓 31 Oct 2026, 09:36 AM
👁 16
Intel reports that its low‑cost laptop processors have sold out, as a global RAM shortage is inflating the price of personal computers in India.
Intel has confirmed that its budget‑range laptop chips have been completely sold out across Indian retailers. The rapid depletion comes at a time when the semiconductor industry is grappling with a worldwide shortage of dynamic random‑access memory (RAM), a key component for most personal computers.
Analysts say the scarcity of RAM modules is pushing manufacturers to raise the cost of assembling laptops and desktops, which in turn lifts retail prices for consumers. Intel's affordable chip line, aimed at entry‑level laptops, is especially vulnerable because price‑sensitive buyers are more likely to delay purchases when component costs spike.
The situation underscores broader supply‑chain pressures that have persisted since 2022, affecting not only laptops but also smartphones and other electronic devices. Industry observers expect the shortage to ease only after new memory fab capacity comes online later next year, but in the interim, Indian shoppers may face higher out‑of‑pocket expenses for new PCs.
Analysts say the scarcity of RAM modules is pushing manufacturers to raise the cost of assembling laptops and desktops, which in turn lifts retail prices for consumers. Intel's affordable chip line, aimed at entry‑level laptops, is especially vulnerable because price‑sensitive buyers are more likely to delay purchases when component costs spike.
The situation underscores broader supply‑chain pressures that have persisted since 2022, affecting not only laptops but also smartphones and other electronic devices. Industry observers expect the shortage to ease only after new memory fab capacity comes online later next year, but in the interim, Indian shoppers may face higher out‑of‑pocket expenses for new PCs.