At the risk of sounding like a broken record: if there's any computing or computing-adjacent device you're thinking of buying, better do it now. The latest development in the story of AI-driven shortages comes from Transcend, which has just let its resellers know that manufacturing of its wares will be delayed due to shortages at upstream suppliers stemming from the ongoing AI datacenter boom.
In a letter sent to its customers on Tuesday, Transcend said that SanDisk and Samsung, both of whom supply the requisite NAND flash chips, have delayed their deliveries a second time. In turn, that means that Transcend hasn't gotten any chip deliveries since October and consequently its Q4 2025 allocation of chips has been further reduced.
Predictably, Transcend listed the usual reasons for the situation, stating that "the market is experiencing a serious shortage of both DRAM and NAND Flash". The Taiwanese maker notes that the situation is particularly dire in this quarter, "due to growing demand from large data centers and hyperscalers." The company even says the quiet part out loud: "all major chip makers are prioritizing those customers first".
Transcend sates its supply costs rose 50 to 100% in just the last week, and that this situation is expected to continue for at least three to five months, affecting deliveries of its SSDs, SD cards, and USB flash drives. Naturally, the company also stated that lead times are now longer and that prices will be higher than in the previous quarter.
DigiTimes Asia reached out to Transcend, which stated that the message "does not represent the company's official position" and "does not fully reflect the actual situation", though it reportedly acknowledged dwindling supplies in the past weeks.
This entire situation is sadly predictable, against the backdrop of the swarm of AI locusts devouring every major computing resource, from chips, to RAM, to hard drives, to SSDs. Hard drives have risen about 20% in the past couple months, SSDs are 10 to 20% higher (with larger capacity models in higher demand), and RAM simply launched into orbital flight and isn't planning on coming back soon.
Additionally, graphics cards are rumored to see price increases, Intel CPUs are going up, Nvidia's 5000 Super line might get a paper launch due to GDDR7 shortages, and companies like Adata, TeamGroup, and Framework have all issued alerts about availability and pricing. Yesterday, Micron even outright put the kibosh on its long-running consumer brand Micron . Things are looking just peachy for us mere mortals looking to build or buy a PC.
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Bruno Ferreira is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has decades of experience with PC hardware and assorted sundries, alongside a career as a developer. He's obsessed with detail and has a tendency to ramble on the topics he loves. When not doing that, he's usually playing games, or at live music shows and festivals.
