Intel has confirmed it has begun raising CPU prices for OEM customers in response to ongoing supply constraints and rising raw material costs. According to Nikkei Asia, both Intel and AMD have notified clients of planned price increases in March and April 2026. The report notes that AI-driven global memory shortages are pushing hardware costs higher and extending delivery times, placing unprecedented margin pressure on channel partners.
David Feng, Intel's vice president of the Client Computing Group, told CRN that the company is updating OEM quotes based on current supply and demand, while OEMs are working with downstream partners to reflect these changes in system prices. Intel emphasized that CPU price adjustments remain significantly lower than the extreme volatility seen in memory chips.
Nevertheless, supply issues have affected multiple product lines. Since the second half of 2025, stronger-than-expected demand for AI data center servers and limited availability of older PC processors have created shortages of some high-end Xeon chips and entry-level products.
Executives at Lenovo said the surge in GPU server demand has tightened corresponding CPU supply, with delivery times for certain data center products extending up to six months. Channel partners have also reported severe shortages of Intel-powered Chromebooks, prompting some to explore alternatives such as MediaTek. Intel expects supply pressure to peak around the end of March, with improvements anticipated in the coming quarters as capacity shifts toward servers and mid- to high-end products.
Nikkei Asia reports that leading PC makers, including HP, Dell, and Asus, have noticed a widening gap between CPU demand and actual shipments since late February 2026. Average CPU prices have reportedly risen 10-15%, while lead times have lengthened from one to two weeks to eight to twelve weeks, with extreme cases reaching six months. Industry executives warn that even paying a premium does not guarantee sufficient production, fueling growing concern in the gaming laptop segment.
The supply crunch stems largely from Intel and AMD prioritizing higher-margin server chips, thereby reducing PC availability in the second quarter. Analysts note that unexpectedly strong growth outside AI data centers has made it difficult for both companies to close the capacity gap quickly. This instability in the x86 market is accelerating the adoption of Arm-based systems, with Arm launching its own server CPUs this week and Nvidia's Arm-based processors demonstrating energy efficiency advantages. Limited Intel production and substrate availability are further driving suppliers to allocate more resources toward Arm architecture systems.
Article translated by Jingyue Hsiao and edited by Jack Wu
