Japanese PC shops limit SSD, HDD, and RAM purchases to prevent hoarding as storage and memory shortage takes hold
In particular, retailers repeatedly pointed to GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB and above as the pressure point. ITmedia notes that inventory above this tier is noticeably weaker than for lower-end cards, a trend already expected given year-end conditions but has since become more pronounced. At TSUKUMO eX., the shortage of high-end cards is so pronounced that roughly half of the showcase space has reportedly been covered because there is little product to display. " Radeon is in relatively stock, but it may be a matter of time…" a representative of that vendor said.
Shops are also expressing concern about restocking timelines, noting that the pressure is "much upstream." Another store cited rumors of upstream pricing and distribution issues, saying there is talk that shipments have been temporarily slowed or paused, leaving retailers unable to predict when higher-end cards will arrive.
This January update builds on reports from late December, when Akihabara shops were already limiting purchases of higher-capacity GPUs to one of each SKU per customer group and warning that 16GB-class cards might be difficult to replenish. What has shifted since then is the degree to which the shortage is visible on the sales floor, with one retailer resorting to covering empty shelves with a curtain because there’s no stock to fill them, and little prospect of any arriving in the near term.
While the reporting focuses on Japan, make no mistake: the affected products fall into a category that has been under pressure globally. GPUs with higher memory capacities are more exposed to rising memory costs and constrained — or, let’s face it, virtually non-existent — memory supply, and retailers are now beginning to see those pressures translate into empty shelves. Expect this to get worse throughout the year; we’re just getting started .
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Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/rtx-5060-ti-and-higher-gpus-are-getting-harder-to-find-in-japan#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.