The Global RAM Shortage: What New Zealand business leaders need to know before your IT costs spike

February 26, 2026

Across 2026 and potentially beyond, New Zealand organisations will feel the impact of a global memory chip shortage - and it won't just concern your IT team. It will influence technology budgets, IT procurement in New Zealand, device lifecycle planning, and the availability of critical infrastructure.

WHAT IS DRIVING THE RAM SHORTAGE?

So, why is this happening? Simply put, AI data centres are consuming unprecedented volumes of RAM and NAND, leaving limited supply for the enterprise and SME markets.


This shortage, however, is different from past supply issues. Memory manufacturers are reallocating production away from standard DRAM, used widely across business hardware, toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM) to support AI workloads. Because HBM takes significantly more wafer capacity to produce, this shift reduces supply of DDR4 and DDR5, affecting New Zealand technology providers, MSPs,  and procurement planning across the country.


HOW WILL THIS IMPACT NEW ZEALAND BUSINESSES?

One of the key words here, is businesses - not IT teams. This is important as the RAM shortage won't just be an annoyance to IT teams, it will send ripples (or waves) across the entire business.


Memory supports more than just your computer. Other devices, around your office (and home) rely on memory, think:


  • Smartphones
  • Servers
  • POS systems
  • Vehicles
  • Networking equipment
  • Security cameras
  • IoT devices.


The impact of this shortage will cause headaches for more than just your IT team. In terms of your broader business, leaders will need to consider and plan for:


  • Extended delays for servers, laptops and storage
  • Higher IT procurement costs
  • More competition for stock
  • Reduced flexibility in project planning that relies on or supports device refreshes or upgrades
  • Increases in risks for organisations delaying standard device lifecycle refreshes.


OUR ADVICE TO CEOs, CIOs AND IT Managers.


ONE: Make sure you have a plan.

If there was ever a time to be proactive, this is it. Reacting after the fact will be costly, may mean you don't get exactly what you want and could result in long delays. Review your technology roadmap, look at what big projects are on the company horizon and establish what tech requirements they'll have.


Understanding your tech needs for the next 12-18 months now, could save you a lot of time, money and hassle in the long run. Which leads us nicely to point number two...


TWO: Chat to your MSP or tech provider.

This is key. Whether it's us or another provider, we're here to help and want the best outcomes for your business. Your IT partner should be proactively monitoring your devices and flagging to you any that will need upgrading or replacing over the next 12-18 months. They can then work with you to find the best solution to managing your tech needs in line with any budget or business constraints you may have. And those projects we mentioned above, have a chat to your provider about them. Let them know what the tech requirements are looking like and they should be able to work with you on a pathway forward.


THREE: Know when and how you'll get cost certainty.

You might need to make some hard decisions. An option is to bring forward hardware renewals. If you're able to, the earlier you get in the more likely you'll have options and better pricing. But again, chatting to your MSP or tech provider on this front (and sooner rather than later) will help you get the certainty you need to plan and budget well.


FOUR: Adjust your FY27 IT budget.

Talking about budgets... we could say build in some wiggle room for RAM-related cost increases, but wiggle room might not be enough. Over the past quarter, we've seen quotes for clients increase significantly in the space of a week. On average (as of February 2026), increases are sitting in the 25%-35% range, but we have seen some more than double.


FIVE: Implement structured hardware lifecycle management.

If you're still running a break-fix replacement model, think about adopting a proactive, managed device refresh programme. If you're sitting on a device that's now four years old and you're planning on waiting out the shortage you could find your security is highly vulnerable (and your device extremely slow) two years down the track.


THE KEY TAKEAWAY.

In our opinion, it's a strong reminder that proactively planning your tech needs and aligning them to your broader business objectives and strategy is crucial for good business management and internal team happiness.


THE BOTTOM LINE.

The global RAM shortage won't disappear overnight. There's no quick fix to the massive buy-up by AI companies. Plan now to minimise disruption to your business, team, and budget. (And please...talk to your tech provider, they're here to help).