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"In addition, graphics memory costs are expected to rise further, leading to a substantial increase in VGA Card* costs in the second half of the year," a statement from PC Partner in its financial results for the first half of the year reads. "The quantity of VGA Card shipments declined substantially in the first half of FY2026 as compared with the second half of FY2025, and availability of VGA Cards is likely to decline further in the second half of FY2026."
GPU prices have increased massively in the recent quarters primarily due to high demand amid shortages of components. But just when you thought that AIB prices cannot get any higher due to the risk of a collapse in demand, GPU producers say otherwise. While the increase is not completely unexpected, what looks a bit unexpected is that entry-level graphics cards will increase the most, according to PC Partner.
"Beyond the price increases, entry-level VGA Cards are expected to face even more severe shortages, which may further drive ASP upward in the second half of FY2026," the statement by PC Partner reads.
Jon Peddie, the head of Jon Peddie Research , is a bit skeptic about whether the volume of graphics cards sold is going down, at least when it comes to consumer products.
GPU prices keep surging in 2026 — Lack of sale discounts and rising VRAM costs keep current-gen prices sky-high
More GPU price hikes loom for Asia as Japanese distributor warns of new increases
MSI and Colorful raise Nvidia RTX 50-series prices in China by up to 59% across the entire lineup
"In Q1 2025, 9.25 million AIBs were sold, and in Q1 2026, 11.82 million; that is an increase of 28% in units, not dollars," Jon Peddie told Tom's Hardware. "AIB sales ($) will also increase, driven by higher memory costs. Our POS tracking of AIBs shows Q1 2025 at $6.18 billion and Q1 2026 at $ 10.85 billion, a 76% increase."
The question is whether price increases have benefited anyone beyond those early in the supply chain. Jon Peddie, who has been tracking the graphics industry for about 25 years, does not seem to believe that all the graphics card prices are due to increased costs.
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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/tech-industry/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/pc-partner-warns-of-rising-gpu-prices-and-budget-card-shortages-analyst-suggests-makers-are-hiking-prices-beyond-memory-costs#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/membership
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