Why consumer electronics prices are surging

In DepthComponent prices have surged in recent months, driven by both the race to develop artificial intelligence and by the war in Iran. This trend is now affecting consumer electronics, with no respite expected in the short term.

It's a phenomenon that has already earned nicknames: "ramaggedon" and "rampocalypse." Blending "RAM" (random access memory) with an apocalyptic mood, the terms used in the tech press capture the alarming rise in prices of certain computer components. This surge has been exacerbated in recent months by the global race for artificial intelligence and by the war in Iran.

For consumers, this inflation is becoming increasingly apparent in the prices of hardware purchases. The French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) reported, for example, an increase of around 6.34% in prices for computers, laptops and tablets between January and May 2026.

This overall increase may seem limited. However, that is because it still includes sales of machines assembled and sold from stocks built up by manufacturers at prices negotiated before the recent surge in the cost of certain specific components.

Because during the same period, inflation particularly affected semiconductors such as RAM and the latest-generation hard drives. "RAM and SSD-type storage have been much more expensive since the end of 2025," confirmed to Le Monde the teams at INSEE responsible for monitoring consumer prices.

The German website 3DCenter, which specializes in data analysis and computer hardware sales, reported on this in its latest price index for May.

Similar trends have appeared on French-language e-commerce sites. One example among the many cases documented by computer enthusiast communities: A high-performance 256 GB external SSD drive, sold for €48 in June 2024 by the Transcend brand on Amazon, was, by the end of May 2026, listed at €114 by the same seller. According to figures recorded by Keepa, a price tracking service for the e-commerce site, the price surge accelerated in January 2026.

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