The last few weeks have brought some noticeable shifts within the technology supply chain that are impacting the global IT hardware market, including shortages of key components, especially memory products like DRAM and NAND.
This has not only caused limitations in availability but has also extended production timelines and triggered unexpected price adjustments.
What is causing these issues?
This ongoing challenge is driven by a number of factors including emerging supply constraints, rising fabrication costs, and a heightened level of demand to meet the requirement for AI deployments, which typically include more memory-intensive workloads. This has resulted in a sharp spike in demand that key suppliers are working tirelessly to accommodate.
Almost every major manufacturer and distributor has reported challenges with availability of stock, and a sustained increase in price that is now impacting the cost for end customers.
How will this impact our customers?
While it’s not expected that these challenges will lead to outright shortages, customers should expect longer lead times, limitations in available configurations, and incrementally increasing costs. It’s important to note that this situation is not limited to Advania – it is being felt across the IT sector and will likely continue through 2026 and 2027 as the industry realigns to meet this new demand.
For many, the most immediate and visible impact will be higher costs on new hardware compared to previous orders, with more regular price fluctuation than you might be accustomed to. In turn, these uncertainties may require us to provide quotes with shorter validity periods.
Lead times from manufacturers are also becoming less predictable, particularly for highly sought-after models or configurations, causing availability to fluctuate as stock tightens.
These factors combined make effective and proactive IT planning more critical than ever. Customers who engage with us early and have clearly defined roadmaps for their IT can expect greater access to inventory and more predictability in deployment timelines, while more ad-hoc projects may experience additional challenges when sourcing the right hardware in an appropriate timeframe.
How we’re helping our customers
We’re highlighting these challenges as soon as possible to allow more time for strategies to shift as needed, and have already reached out to the majority of customers directly over email. To help alleviate the impact, we’re actively monitoring vendor and distributor pricing, lead times, and availability to help our customers plan ahead. Wherever possible, we’re also leveraging our close relationships with supply chain partners to help prioritise more immediate customer needs. We’ve already seen proactive actions taken by leading vendors such as Cisco, Dell, HPE, HP Inc and Lenovo to help mitigate the impact on customers as much as possible.
In instances where a specific model is delayed or disproportionately affected by price changes, our experts are proactively advising on alternatives that protect timelines and budgets, while working to build flexibility into specifications where appropriate.
We’re also focusing on forward planning for upcoming projects and refresh cycles, helping forecast needs earlier and reduce exposure to volatility. For customers with larger projects on the horizon, or an ongoing refresh cycle, we’d recommend getting in touch with our teams sooner rather than later, so we can help adjust plans to minimise disruption and avoid any unplanned cost adjustments.
If any customers have upcoming hardware requirements or would like to review plans in light of these market conditions, please speak with your Advania account manager as soon as possible. We will continue to communicate transparently as the situation evolves and work with you to find the best path through a changing market.
