Steady Supply in an Unsteady Market

At JARO Distribution, we feel shifts in the consumer electronics market before they show up in the headlines. Entering 2026, one force is reshaping how we work day to day: the reallocation of the world's memory chip supply toward artificial intelligence. It is tightening availability and pushing prices across every device category — and it changes how we source, quote, and plan for our partners.

The cause is straightforward. Memory makers have limited factory capacity, and AI's hunger for high-bandwidth memory earns them far more per wafer than the standard chips inside phones and laptops. Every wafer sent to AI is one taken from consumer devices. With data centers now absorbing an estimated 70% of global memory supply, DRAM prices have climbed over 170% year-over-year, and device prices are expected to rise 10–20% through 2026, with little relief before 2027.

So how do we respond? When allocation tightens, we lean harder on the relationships and channels we have spent years building — combining authorized distribution with overstock and alternative sourcing so we can still find product when factory allocations run dry. We move earlier on orders, hold honest conversations with partners about where prices are heading, and never let volatility become an excuse for unreliable delivery or grey-market risk.

"In a market like this, our job is to absorb the uncertainty so our partners don't have to," said Jim, Managing Director at JARO Distribution. "When prices move or stock disappears overnight, we stay transparent about what we're seeing and secure the inventory our customers need. That reliability is what a shortage market truly rewards."

This is the vision that guides us: to be the partner who steadies the supply chain when conditions are anything but steady, connecting global brands with regional markets, and turning volatility into confidence for the buyers and suppliers who count on us.