IT Procurement Update – June 2026

Supply Urgency & Market Update

AI-Driven Demand Continues to Reshape the IT Supply Chain

Global investment in AI infrastructure is placing unprecedented pressure on the technology supply chain. As organizations rapidly expand AI capabilities and data center capacity, demand for compute, memory, storage, and critical electronic components has accelerated significantly across the industry.

WBM continues to closely monitor these market conditions alongside our manufacturing and distribution partners. Based on current trends, customers should continue to expect ongoing price volatility, extended lead times, and supply constraints throughout 2026 and into 2027.

What’s happening:

As of early April 2026, the global RAM shortage remains severe, driven by unprecedented demand from AI data centers. This surge has significantly impacted availability and pricing in the I.T. channel, with some 32GB DDR5 kits becoming difficult to source or experiencing substantial price increases. While there have been recent signs of minor stabilization and even slight price declines in select regions, these improvements appear temporary. Industry experts and manufacturers broadly expect the imbalance between supply and demand to persist, with some forecasts suggesting constraints could continue through 2028 and potentially into 2030.

• Copper markets and tariffs remain volatile and unpredictable.
• Memory demand has surged due to AI, data center growth, and technology transitions like DDR4→DDR5.
• Manufacturers are reallocating capacity to higher-margin memory, tightening supply for legacy components.
• Intel & AMD CPU price increases and extended lead times on key products.

Memory & RAM Supply Constraints Remain the Largest Challenge

Hardware Costs Continue to Rise

Organizations across the channel are experiencing substantial increases in hardware pricing, particularly for Enterprise servers, Workstations, laptops & desktops, storage infrastructure, and Networking and compute hardware.

Several major manufacturers have already implemented pricing adjustments in 2026, while others have reduced promotional programs and shortened quote validity windows due to ongoing market volatility.

Tariffs & Commodity Volatility Adding Further Pressure

In addition to component shortages, ongoing tariff uncertainty and commodity fluctuations, particularly around copper and critical minerals, are contributing to additional cost instability across the supply chain.

Global competition for these materials continues to intensify as countries invest heavily in semiconductor manufacturing, AI infrastructure, electrification, and advanced technologies.

Extended Constraints Expected Through 2027

Industry analysts continue to project elevated demand and constrained supply conditions through at least late 2027. Significant investment from global cloud and hyperscale providers is expected to keep pressure on memory, compute, and infrastructure manufacturing capacity for the foreseeable future.

The WBM Procurement Services Team is here to support you with the latest updates from manufacturers.

Dell

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

• As the industry continues to experience supply chain and cost pressures, we want to provide advance notice of an upcoming Dell pricing adjustment to support your planning efforts.
• Dell has advised that PC pricing across its CSG portfolio will increase in July due to rising manufacturing and component costs. To help customers manage this change, Dell will honour current pricing on orders submitted by June 18, provided shipment can be confirmed by the end of July.
• WBM will work closely with the Dell Canada sales team to validate shipment timelines before placing orders to ensure eligibility for current pricing.
• At this time, we anticipate price increases in the range of 15–25%. As additional details become available, we will provide further guidance on timing and the expected impact by product category.

Lenovo

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

• Lenovo Pricing Update

  Lenovo has announced upcoming price adjustments impacting select devices:

  • Pricing updates for non-CTO models will be announced on July 1 and effective July 3.
  • Additional updates for EDU Chromebook models will be announced July 31 and effective August 4.
  • Orders must ship before June 30, 2026, or they will be subject to repricing or cancellation.

  Inventory is currently available through distribution to support near-term orders

HP Inc.

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

• Effective 1 July 2026, HP will be implementing price increases on select Personal Systems products.
• Current pricing will be honoured on orders that ship before 1 September 2026. Orders shipping after this date may be subject to updated pricing.
• To help avoid this, we recommend placing orders by June 25 to allow time for processing before the change. 

HPE

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

Microsoft

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

• There is a global supply constraint on 32GB Intel Lunar Lake configurations, with CU7/32 now moving to allocation and expected to be out of stock by the end of July.

Intel

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

• Intel has confirmed CPU price increases for OEMs as supply constraints continue, driven by sustained demand across data center and commercial PC environments, particularly related to AI infrastructure.
• Organizations should anticipate some continued pricing pressure and longer lead times for certain processors, though CPU increases are expected to be less volatile than recent memory market fluctuations.
• Read the article, here: CRN News Intel Confirms CPU Price Increases for OEMs Amid Supply Crunch

Industry News to Watch

SK Group chairman says memory chip shortage will last until 2030

RAM Prices Have Started To Drop, But the Crisis Is Far From Over

Analysts believe the shortage driven by AI data center demand will persist.

Ram prices are stabilizing, but I wouldn’t celebrate just yet

If You Need a Laptop, Buy It Now

Our Recommendation

If you have upcoming technology refreshes, infrastructure projects, or anticipated growth initiatives, WBM strongly recommends evaluating opportunities to accelerate procurement timelines where possible.

Current market conditions are creating increased risk around:

• Pricing stability
• Product availability
• Lead times
• Quote validity periods

For many organizations, proactively securing memory, storage, and infrastructure capacity upfront may help reduce future cost exposure and mitigate deployment delays.

WBM’s Procurement Services Team maintains real-time visibility into inventory and availability across Tier 1 manufacturers and distributors throughout Canada. We also offer managed inventory strategies and flexible financing options, including evergreen programs, designed to help customers reduce the overall total cost of ownership while navigating market uncertainty.

For assistance, please connect with your WBM Account Manager or contact our Procurement Services Team directly at 888-275-4926 or sales@wbm.ca. You can also view real-time product availability through the WBM Direct procurement portal at wbmdirect.ca.

WBM is a Western Canadian IT channel partner dedicated to helping organizations across Western Canada navigate ongoing supply chain challenges with transparency, strategic guidance, and proactive procurement planning.

Sincerely,

Ashley Schell
Director, Strategic Procurement
WBM Technologies

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