Acer Says Memory Shortage Cannot Last Until 2030 as PC Prices Keep Rising

Acer Chairman and CEO Jason Chen is pushing back against forecasts suggesting the current memory supply pressure could continue through 2030. Chen argues that expanding semiconductor production, particularly additional capacity coming from Chinese manufacturers, should prevent shortages from lasting that long. That does not mean cheaper PCs are immediately ahead, however, as Acer still expects elevated component costs to push system prices higher before conditions begin easing in 2027.

According to Chen’s comments, Acer is currently seeing considerably better availability for both DDR4 and DDR5, while CPU supply has also improved outside certain entry level and mainstream products. He pointed to new semiconductor capacity continuing to enter the market as one reason forecasts of shortages extending through the end of the decade appear unrealistic.

"Memory shortages simply cannot continue through 2030."
— Quote by: Jason Chen

Chen’s comments were originally made in Chinese, where he described the idea of memory remaining in shortage until 2030 as impossible. His broader point was that supply continues to increase, with Acer now seeing more suppliers looking to sell memory and SSD components even while buyer demand remains comparatively restrained.

The distinction between availability and pricing is important. Although Acer says supply conditions have improved, memory and SSD costs remain high. Chen expects average PC prices to increase by around 5% to 20% during Q4 2026, with systems carrying larger memory and SSD configurations potentially seeing stronger increases. He expects PC average selling prices to peak around the middle of 2027, with prices potentially beginning to decline during the second half of the year.

A separate report covering the same remarks provides additional context, with Chen arguing that current memory supply is considerably healthier than prevailing market pricing might suggest. He specifically pointed to Chinese suppliers increasing output and competing more aggressively on price, potentially creating additional pressure on established memory manufacturers as more capacity reaches customers.

That outlook differs from some of the more cautious projections elsewhere in the memory industry. AI infrastructure continues absorbing large volumes of HBM, server DDR5, and enterprise storage, while some manufacturers and smaller hardware companies still expect tight allocation conditions through 2027. Large PC vendors such as Acer, however, operate with different purchasing volumes, supplier relationships, and inventory strategies, which can give them a different view of actual component availability.

We previously covered how Samsung and SK hynix memory inventories have fallen to unusually low levels, while Apacer has warned that DRAM allocations to module manufacturers could fall sharply in 2027. Chen’s comments do not necessarily contradict those concerns, but they suggest the supply picture may differ considerably depending on where a company sits in the market. Acer has also been preparing for higher component costs rather than waiting for prices to normalize. Earlier in September, Chen said the company had built additional inventory at lower prices to reduce the impact of subsequent component increases on its PC business.

The key distinction in Chen’s comments is between shortage and price. Components can become easier to secure while remaining expensive, especially when manufacturers are still working through higher contract pricing and inventory purchased during tighter market conditions.

Acer also sees the market from the perspective of one of the world’s major PC manufacturers. Its purchasing power and access to multiple suppliers are very different from those of smaller system builders or memory module companies, which helps explain why different parts of the industry can simultaneously report improving availability and difficult allocation conditions.

For consumers, 2030 is probably less important than Acer’s shorter term forecast. Chen expects PC pricing pressure to continue into 2027, with the possibility of prices beginning to ease only after reaching a peak around the middle of the year.

Do you expect expanding memory production to bring DDR5 and SSD prices down in 2027, or will AI demand keep consumer hardware expensive for longer?