Hardware supplier calls market to action and adjusts own product line to control costs
Component prices for laptops, computers, and other electronics have increased by up to four times due to the explosive demand for AI hardware. For the average home laptop, this means price increases of 30% or more. Consumers are the first to notice. The business community follows closely.
SKIKK has therefore intervened in its own product line. The standard RAM in laptops went from 32GB to 16GB. At the same time, the company is temporarily moving away from its own branded SSDs — purchasing is now being done more broadly from A-brands, in smaller volumes, to maintain some more room for maneuver in a market that offers hardly any room. Anyone looking for laptops despite everything can turn to SKIKK for the current selection.
"For the first price increase, we were still able to absorb this internally by adjusting the RAM. We absorbed the second wave by purchasing SSDs more broadly. But the market remains under pressure."
The major AI tech companies are driving up global demand for chips. That is the core of the problem. There are plans for new production facilities — including Elon Musk's so-called TeraFab — but according to SKIKK, they still need at least another year and a half to two years before they change anything at all about the market situation.
And it goes beyond laptops alone. The entire IoT market is suffering from the same shortage: phones, televisions, consoles, smart devices. They are all queuing up for the same scarce components. More local production can help in the long run, but anyone expecting a solution from that now will be disappointed.
"The market will have to help itself. That means building more factories, or reducing the demand for chips by developing faster and more efficient chips. We also see opportunities in reusing components, although that is more difficult for laptops than for other equipment."
For companies that think they can cut back on hardware now: that doesn't work. Not at this moment. Precisely because AI applications are developing at a rapid pace, renewing equipment is important to keep up operationally. Those who sit still now will fall behind — and that gap is difficult to close.
"Do not cut back now if you want to stay ahead of your competitor. With the advent of AI, it is precisely now that it is important to purchase new devices more frequently, so that your performance can keep up with new developments."