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Analysts predict laptop prices could surge by as much as 40%, even before a shortage of sulphur caused by the war in Iran is taken into account.
The PC industry was suffering from a crippling components shortage triggered by a surge in demand for memory in AI data centres. Now experts are warning that constrained supplies of sulphur caused by the conflict in The Middle East are likely to increase those pressures even further.
TrendForce estimates the retail price of a mainstream laptop that previously would have cost $900 (roughly £670) is likely to rise by 40% in the coming year, due to the increased cost of DRAM and SSDs, combined with new fears that CPU prices are set to follow a similar trajectory.
CPU prices have until now been relatively stable. But TrendForce claims that “Intel has already raised prices on certain entry-level and older-generation notebook CPUs by more than 15%, and is planning further price increases for mainstream and mid-to-high-end platforms in 2Q26”.
It’s not only Intel that’s affected. “Although AMD’s supply had been stable before, recent reports indicate possible shortages in some entry-level AMD platforms, suggesting that tight CPU supply conditions are now affecting a wider range of the market,” TrendForce reports.
As the CPU is one of the more expensive components in a laptop, that could have a particularly marked effect on the overall price of the device.
The TrendForce report was published before reports about a potential shortage of sulphur began to emerge, which could put even more cost pressure on the CPU market.
A report in the Financial Times claims that the lack of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a consequence of the war in Iran, has disrupted supplies of sulphur to CPU manufacturers. The price of sulphur has jumped 15% since the war began, the newspaper reports.
Semiconductor firms use sulphuric acid to clean wafers. They also use helium for cooling, supplies of which are also being threatened by the war.
All told, if your business was planning a hardware refresh later in the year, it might make sense to bring those plans forward, before the increased cost of new hardware really begins to bite.
