IT Procurement Update – May 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.

Samsung Electronics

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

• Samsung Electronics is officially on strike as of May 21, 2026. The 18-day Samsung strike highlighted the growing fragility of the global semiconductor supply chain. With memory manufacturers already struggling to keep pace with unprecedented AI-driven demand, disruptions like this have the potential to further increase pricing pressures and delay AI infrastructure investments worldwide.
• Given that Samsung is one of only three major global memory manufacturers, any disruption could create a significant bottleneck in the supply chain. A prolonged strike would likely intensify the existing RAM shortage, strengthening the union’s bargaining position and putting further pressure on pricing and availability across the industry.
• This would not be unprecedented. As reported by The New York Times, employees staged their first-ever strike in 2024, which lasted 25 days before being resolved.
• Read more, here: Samsung faces strike after pay talks with the union fall apart

Lenovo

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

• Lenovo has announced a price increase effective June 1, 2026, with final details pending, though increases are expected to exceed 10%.  
• Lenovo has temporarily closed the order window on select Intel and AMD processors as North America is sold out for the quarter. This action is in place to prevent new orders ahead of the June 4 price increase. The order window is expected to reopen on or after June 4, once new pricing is communicated. Please reach out for a list of of impacted processors and the WBM team can provide alternatives to consider.
• Backlog for orders placed prior to May 29 will be honoured until September 30. If certain orders cannot be fulfilled within this period, we may need to consider configuration changes to enable shipment within the required timeframe.
• Lenovo pricing updates began on March 3 across the portfolio, with more changes happening. As a planning guideline, orders received to WBM no later than May 27 are more likely to align with current pricing.
• Market dynamics are shifting quickly. Intel Lunar Lake platforms are already effectively sold out despite appearing current in lifecycle tools and roadmaps, indicating limited to no future availability for Lenovo custom (CTO) builds. These systems are being replaced by Intel Panther Lake, which is expected to come at a premium, potentially up to 30%, depending on configuration. It’s also worth noting that Lunar Lake integrated memory was a key driver of lower system costs compared to Intel Arrow Lake models. With the transition to Panther Lake, that cost advantage is expected to diminish.

Quote validity:

• Orders received before May 27, but not shipped by June 30, 2026, will need to be repriced.
• Due to specific RAM and component configurations, we have seen custom orders (CTO) being pushed out by +20 weeks.

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

Dell

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

• 14 Day Validity on Quotes based on component availability. If specific components are discontinued, pricing will need to be requoted.
• Dell has begun adjusting pricing across several product lines due to broader industry cost increases.
• For servers, pricing changes are affecting key components including memory across both 16G and 17G platforms, storage (SSDs, HDDs, and BOSS controller cards), and Intel CPUs.
• Dell storage pricing and deal structures may also shift depending on current market conditions and component availability, so pricing may vary based on configuration and timing.
• Additionally, Dell device pricing is increasing, and some higher spec end user devices are already seeing supply constraints. Further price adjustments across the device portfolio are expected starting March 30. If you are considering any upcoming purchases, placing orders before this date may help avoid additional increases.

HP

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

• We are seeing major constraints on 32GB memory systems.
• There is a supply of pre-discounted models at our distributors.
• Effective May 4th, 2026, HP will increase the price of select Poly video products. The price increase will be across the following:
  • Video – (VPC:NJ)
  • Studio E70, G62, V12, X32, X52/V52, X72/V72, Poly TC10, and the HP Poly A2 Audio Bridge

Logitech

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

• Effective May 2, 2026, due to rising Memory and component costs across all regions, and their immense impact on Logitech’s video collaboration (VC) products.

HPE

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

• Immediate changes per HPE.
• HPE Quote Validity is 14 days; Validity is based on HPE quote end date.
• All pricing from HPE is subject to change without notice.
• HPE reserves the right to cancel ANY order prior to shipment.
• If you are placing orders including a constraint product and the quote expires prior to shipping, the order will be rejected and cancelled by HPE and a requote will be required for order processing.
• This is not a short-term issue as supply is continuing to be challenged as the factories making enterprise data center CPU’s, memory & disk have re-tooled their production to make higher margin AI components. The industry is estimating this is a 2+ year challenge to get back to normal. HPE has seen a 24-30% increase in list price so far in March alone.

HPE is currently experiencing supply constraints on the Instant On 1930 series, which are expected to impact availability for the foreseeable future. Specifically, models JL685A and JL686B are under constraint, and HPE has not yet provided estimated timelines for resolution. At this time, PoE variants are being prioritized as part of the recovery plan.

In the interim, several alternative options are available:

• The 1830 48-port switches (JL814A and JL815A) can be positioned where Layer 2 functionality is sufficient. Please note that on the PoE model, only 24 of the 48 ports support PoE.
• The 1960 series (JL808A and JL809A) is also available as an alternative; however, this comes at a higher price point compared to the 1930 series.
• Additionally, 24-port 1930 models (JL682A, JL683B, JL684B) remain available.

Crestron Electronics

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

•  Effective June 1, 2026, Crestron will implement a 10% price increase. To help minimize the impact, WBM encourages customers to consider advancing any planned purchases ahead of this date.

Cisco

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

Pricing and quoting:

• Effective May 16, 2026, Cisco will introduce targeted price adjustments on a limited set of compute hardware products not previously updated in April. 

Neat

Status: Stable | Watch | Constrained

•  Effective June 1, 2026, Neat will implement a price adjustment across its portfolio due to sustained increases in memory component costs impacting the broader technology industry. 

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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