Global PC shipments fall 20 percent as AI squeezes memory

Global PC shipments fell 20.1 percent year on year in the third quarter of 2026 to 62.7 million units, according to IDC data reported by BusinessDay, as AI data centre demand pulls memory supply away from consumer devices.

Why it matters: It is the second straight quarterly contraction and the sharpest sign yet that the AI buildout is taxing the consumer hardware market through component prices, with device prices up an estimated 10 to 23 percent.

Data as of Monday, October 12, 2026. Single report of IDC figures, opened and read in full; the underlying IDC release was not separately opened. Developing item, 2 to 3 sentences by design.

IDC figures reported Monday put third-quarter PC shipments at 62.7 million units, down from 78.5 million a year earlier, a deterioration from the second quarter’s 3.8 percent decline. BusinessDay attributed the slump to chipmakers directing capacity toward high-bandwidth memory for AI systems, tightening conventional DRAM and NAND supply and pushing device prices higher.

The declines were broad: HP shipments fell 30.9 percent, Dell 25 percent, Lenovo 22.6 percent, Apple 11.3 percent and ASUS 8.6 percent, per the report.

Global PC shipments fall 20 percent as AI squeezes memory

Sources