Why HP, Dell and others PC makers are exploring Chinese memory chips

HP has started testing memory chips from China's CXMT, while Dell is also evaluating its products, as both PC makers worry that DRAM prices may remain high through 2026

A prolonged shortage of memory chips is forcing some of the world’s biggest personal computer makers to rethink long-standing supply strategies. With prices rising and supplies increasingly diverted to artificial intelligence hardware, companies such as HP, Dell, Acer and Asus are now exploring Chinese memory chip suppliers, Nikkei Asia reported.

 

HP has begun testing memory products from ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China’s largest DRAM maker, as part of efforts to widen its supplier base while global memory supplies remain tight.

 

HP plans to closely monitor market conditions until around mid-2026. If shortages persist and prices continue to climb, the company may start using CXMT’s chips for products sold outside the United States. This would mark HP’s first time sourcing DRAM from a Chinese supplier.

 

 

Dell is taking a similar approach. The company has also started evaluating CXMT’s memory products, driven by concerns that DRAM prices could remain elevated through 2026, the report said.

 

Why is the AI boom squeezing consumer electronics?

 

Industry executives cited in the report said the current shortage is largely due to major memory producers — Micron, Samsung and SK Hynix — allocating a growing share of capacity to AI-focused customers such as Nvidia, Google and Amazon.

 

As a result, consumer electronics makers, which typically operate on thinner margins, are finding it harder to secure affordable supplies. One supply-chain executive described Chinese memory firms as a potential “backup option” as traditional suppliers prioritise higher-value AI orders.

 

How are contract manufacturers gaining influence?

 

The memory crunch is also reshaping relationships between PC brands and their manufacturing partners. Chinese electronics contract manufacturers are being asked to play a bigger role in sourcing key components, including memory chips.

 

Acer, the world’s sixth-largest PC maker, has increasingly relied on Chinese partners for design and production to control costs. Sources quoted in the report said Acer would be open to using China-made memory chips if its manufacturing partners procure them.

 

Acer chairman Jason Chen recently said any new capacity coming online in China could help ease pressure in the memory market, signalling openness to alternative suppliers.

 

Asustek, the fifth-largest PC company globally, has also asked its Chinese production partners to explore memory sourcing options for certain notebook projects.   

 

How is procurement strategy changing for PC makers?

 

Traditionally, PC brands closely controlled the sourcing of critical components such as processors, displays and memory, while contract manufacturers focused on assembly and less critical parts.

 

That model is now evolving. With memory shortages worsening, brands are increasingly relying on their manufacturing partners’ local networks to identify new suppliers. One executive said companies are now more willing to let partners use their own supply-chain connections to secure memory components, Nikkei Asia reported.

 

What role are Chinese memory firms playing globally?

 

Chinese memory makers are already influencing global markets. CXMT’s DRAM chips are widely used by Chinese smartphone brands such as Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, as well as PC maker Lenovo and cloud firms including Alibaba Cloud and ByteDance.

 

Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp., China’s leading NAND maker, has gained market share despite being on a US trade blacklist. The company has launched its own solid-state drive products in Taiwan and expanded sales across Southeast Asia.

 

According to Counterpoint Research, CXMT now holds about 5 per cent of the global DRAM market by revenue, while Yangtze Memory accounts for roughly 10 per cent of the NAND market. Both companies are expanding production capacity.

 

However, some industry executives remain cautious. One gaming PC executive said qualifying new memory suppliers typically takes around six months, limiting short-term relief. He added that much of China’s new memory output is likely to be reserved for domestic firms such as Huawei and Lenovo, leaving limited supply for overseas brands, the report said.