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Phison CEO Khein-Seng Pua warned in a reported February 2026 interview that AI-driven shortages of DRAM and NAND could leave smaller electronics companies unable to secure memory or afford it, forcing some to abandon products or exit the market. That is a forecast, not a confirmed count of failures: the reports describe sharp price increases and supply pressure, but do not establish that the predicted bankruptcies have occurred.
What Phison’s CEO said—and what it does not establish
Tom’s Hardware attributed the warning to Pua’s interview with Era News. Pua described mobile and automotive companies pleading with suppliers for flash memory and said smaller firms might not get the supply they need. He called consumer electronics “finished” and predicted “a lot of victims” in the second half of 2026. Those are his emphatic remarks, not independently verified industry-wide forecasts.
The most useful interpretation is narrower: companies with limited cash, weak supplier relationships, or little room to change a product may be forced to cut production, delay launches, raise prices, or cancel products if they cannot obtain memory on workable terms. The cited reporting does not document how many firms have actually failed because of the shortage.
How the memory crunch can reach electronics makers
AI data centers require large quantities of memory and storage. As hyperscale buyers such as Nvidia, Microsoft, and Google absorb supply, other buyers may face higher prices or tighter allocation. That pressure can affect both DRAM, commonly used as working memory, and NAND flash, used in products such as SSDs, phones, and TVs.
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Shortage does not have to mean that every device maker is physically unable to buy chips. Financing and access matter too: a manufacturer that can prepay or has established supplier agreements may be better placed to secure inventory than a smaller rival. PC Gamer reported that Phison had long-term agreements with two DRAM suppliers and six NAND suppliers while negotiating prepayment plans.
| Pressure point | Why it matters | What the cited reporting says |
|---|---|---|
| DRAM and NAND supply | AI infrastructure demand can compete with consumer devices for memory and storage components. | Pua warned of shortages affecting both. The reports do not provide a complete, independently verified global supply forecast. |
| Cash and supplier access | Companies may need the cash and relationships to secure allocations or pay suppliers earlier. | Phison had agreements with two DRAM and six NAND suppliers and was negotiating prepayment plans, according to PC Gamer. |
| Product flexibility | A device that can use a different component or ship with less memory may be easier to adapt than one with fixed requirements. | The reporting identifies limited ability to redesign or substitute memory as a risk for smaller vendors; it does not quantify how many products can be adapted. |
| Memory’s share of product cost | When memory takes a larger share of a device’s cost, price rises can squeeze margins or push retail prices up. | No general cost-share figure is stated in the cited reporting. |
What the reported figures suggest
The figures below are attributed claims or forecasts reported in early 2026, not audited outcomes. They refer to different products and measures, so they should not be combined into a single estimate of industry losses.
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- Smartphones: Tom’s Hardware reported Pua’s estimate that potential production cuts could reach 100 million to 250 million phones. This is a potential cut he cited, not a confirmed reduction in shipments.
- Small flash modules: Pua said an 8GB eMMC module had risen from $1.50 to $20. The report presents this as his example of a price surge, not a market-wide quote for every supplier or product.
- Televisions: Axios cited TrendForce’s forecast of more than 190 million fewer TV shipments in 2026. This is a forecast, not a confirmed shipment total.
- NAND: PC Gamer reported Pua’s statement that NAND prices had increased 50% overnight. The report does not establish that this percentage applied to all NAND products or persisted as a standard market price.
- Phison’s business: PC Gamer, citing DigiTimes, reported that enterprise SSDs represented 30% of Phison’s Q1 2026 revenue. That company-specific revenue mix shows the importance of enterprise storage to Phison; it is not a measure of the entire market.
- Inventory and financing: PC Gamer reported Phison’s inventory at NT$35.6 billion at the end of 2025 and NT$50 billion at the end of February 2026. It also reported that Phison’s board approved a plan for a US$400 million to US$500 million syndicated loan for inventory and research and development. These company figures illustrate the cash involved in preparing for constrained supply; they do not establish that every manufacturer faces the same costs or financing options.
Could consumers see higher prices or fewer choices?
Yes, but the likely effects are not limited to an empty shelf. If memory costs rise or components are allocated elsewhere, manufacturers may pass some costs on, delay a launch, ship fewer units, reduce a device’s memory configuration, or cancel a product that no longer makes financial sense.
Axios notes that modern smart TVs typically contain 1GB to 8GB of RAM. It quotes Neumonda executive vice president Marco Mezger saying that tighter memory supply can raise prices, shift product launches, compress margins, and weigh more heavily on smaller companies. Mezger also said this does not mean shelves go empty immediately; he suggested broader effects could emerge within six to 12 months if AI demand continued at its then-current pace. That timing is a conditional view from the interview, not a guaranteed schedule.
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Which companies are most exposed?
- Smaller brands and system vendors: They may have less leverage with suppliers and less cash available for prepayments than the largest technology buyers.
- Businesses with thin margins: They have less room to absorb higher component costs without raising prices or losing money.
- Products with fixed memory requirements: A design that cannot readily substitute a component, change its configuration, or be redesigned may be harder to keep in production.
- Firms dependent on one or a few products: A delayed launch or canceled model can be more damaging when there are few other products to offset lost sales.
Large companies are not immune to cost increases or delays, but the cited reporting’s central concern is that smaller competitors may have fewer ways to respond.
Should you buy an SSD or RAM now?
The reports support concern about unusual memory-price and inventory volatility, but they do not establish one reliable date when the shortage will end or prove that prices will move in only one direction. A purchase decision should therefore turn on your need and current local price, not a promise that buying immediately will save money.
- If you need storage or memory for a planned upgrade, compare the exact capacity and compatible product at current prices and buy when the cost fits your budget.
- If the purchase is optional, waiting may let you avoid buying at a temporary spike, but it also carries the risk that availability or pricing worsens.
- For a new device, check whether its memory or storage can be upgraded later before paying extra for a higher configuration. Many devices do not allow a practical upgrade.
No single shortage-ending date is established by the cited reports. Longer-range claims that supply will remain constrained for years should be treated as scenarios unless supported by a specific, credible forecast.
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