A global race for AI supremacy could now hit consumers directly, as experts warn that prices for laptops, consoles and even everyday business technology could rise by £300 or more after OpenAI tied up a large portion of the world’s supply of memory chips.
Over the summer, the retail price of a 32GB memory kit costing around £100 rose to over £400 after OpenAI quietly secured deals giving it priority access to 40% of the world’s high-performance memory production as part of its Stargate supercomputing project.
In October, OpenAI confirmed contracts with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to purchase around 900,000 memory chips per month – an amount so large that chipmakers and PC makers were bracing for a crisis. Some replenished inventory early. Those that didn’t now have to deal with explosive price increases.
Framework, the highly regarded modular laptop maker, has completely discontinued its standalone storage products, citing fears of “scalpers” and warning that prices for its components will soon have to rise.
Smartphone makers are in the same bind: flagship Android devices now routinely have 12GB to 16GB of RAM. These costs, manufacturers say, will either be passed on directly to buyers or already pressured margins will fall even further.
Colette Mason, author and AI consultant at Clever Clogs AI, said the public had been sold the fantasy that AI would make technology cheaper and more accessible.
“For years we’ve been told that AI will democratize everything. But then OpenAI sucks up 40% of the world’s storage supply and your laptop costs £300 more. That’s not democratization.”
She warned that the people most affected are students, small business owners and retirees – those who rely on affordable, functional computers to participate in work, education and everyday life.
“In the meantime, OpenAI gets priority access while everyone else fights for scrap at three times the price,” she said. “This is automation’s ugly cousin: infrastructure imperialism.”
Rohit Parmar-Mistry, founder of Pattrn Data in Burton-on-Trent, said UK businesses will face the fallout long before they see any benefit from cutting-edge AI.
“A 300% increase in storage costs isn’t just a headache for gamers. For any small business looking to upgrade their fleet, it’s a direct hit to overhead costs.”
He noted that manufacturers are hesitant to ramp up production because they fear demand will overshoot, meaning shortages and high prices could continue.
“If the hardware needed to run a business becomes a luxury item, then the AI running on it had better provide real value. Right now we’re paying premium prices for potential, not performance.”
Patricia McGirr, founder of the Repossession Rescue Network, said the public was being denied basic digital participation.
“A simple storage upgrade now costs more than a month’s rent for some households. One project has locked up a large portion of the world’s supply, and the rest of us are facing the challenge.”
She criticized the lack of regulatory oversight and argued that no thought had been given to the social consequences of sudden hardware inflation.
Kate Underwood, founder of Kate Underwood HR & Training, said small employers were already struggling with outdated laptops and increasing employee complaints.
“It makes the business owner nervous when you can’t upgrade your equipment, but now you’d have to sell a kidney to upgrade your IT. Apparently we now have an AI tax on top of everything else Rachel from Accounting put in the budget last week.”
Can consumers defend themselves? Possibly, but only if they stop buying new technology
Mitali Deypurkaystha, human-first AI strategist at Impact Icon AI, said that while chipmakers have tightened supply, consumers still have influence.
“Most of us don’t need the latest storage to benefit from AI, it runs in the cloud. When we reject inflated prices and buy older or used components, we send a clear signal by reducing profit margins. We are not as powerless as they think.”
Asked about the concerns of UK business owners, OpenAI pointed to previous comments from CEO Sam Altman, who described the Korean manufacturing contract as essential to global AI progress:
“We are pleased to work with Samsung, SK Hynix and the Korean government through our Stargate initiative to support Korea’s AI ambitions.”
For millions of consumers and small businesses today facing hardware costs three times what they were just a few months ago, the question is not whether AI will change the future, but rather who can afford the devices needed to access it.
