Samsung is warning that the age of cheap big-screen TVs may be ending, as artificial intelligence systems soak up the same memory chips that power living room sets. The company is bracing shoppers for higher prices across televisions and other gadgets as a global scramble for advanced semiconductors collides with already tight supply. I see a familiar pattern emerging, where the invisible components inside our devices, not flashy new features, set the real cost of upgrading a home cinema.
At the center of this shift are memory chips, the workhorses that store apps, operating systems and video streams in everything from budget sets to flagship 8K panels. As AI data centers race to install more powerful servers, those same chips are being diverted into racks of high-bandwidth modules instead of TV factories, and Samsung is signaling that the bill is about to land in consumers’ laps.
Samsung’s stark warning: AI is crowding out consumer tech
Samsung Electronics Co has put an unusually sharp point on the problem, telling investors that memory chip supply shortages are likely to raise prices across the electronics industry. Executives say the surge in demand from AI infrastructure is pushing up the cost of DRAM and NAND, the core memory technologies inside modern TVs, phones and laptops, and that these rising component costs will filter through to retail shelves as contracts renew and inventories run down, according to Takeaways. I read that as a clear attempt to reset consumer expectations before the next wave of product launches.
The company’s leadership has been unusually blunt in public. In an interview cited by Reuters, a Samsung co-CEO described an “unprecedented technology shortage” driven by the buildout of data centers for the AI age, warning that smartphone and TV prices could be affected as the entire semiconductor industry is shaken up. When a company of Samsung’s scale, with deep control over its own chip production, starts talking openly about constrained supply and higher tags, I take that as a sign that smaller brands will have even less room to shield buyers.
Inside the memory crunch: DRAM, NAND and high-bandwidth chips
To understand why televisions are caught in this squeeze, it helps to look at what is actually inside them. Modern sets rely on DRAM to keep operating systems like Tizen or Google TV responsive and to juggle multiple apps, while NAND flash stores firmware, streaming services and cached video. As explained in a primer on What Are Memory, these components are central to everything from channel surfing to video buffering, so manufacturers cannot simply strip them out without degrading the experience. When their prices spike, there are only three levers left: shrink margins, cut features or charge more.
AI is now tugging hard on the same supply chain. Samsung executives have highlighted that the AI data-center buildout is a key driver behind surging demand for high-bandwidth memory, a segment that sits at the cutting edge of DRAM technology and is essential for training and running large models, according to comments from Lee reported via Lee. As fabrication lines prioritize these lucrative AI-focused chips, capacity for more conventional DRAM and NAND used in TVs is squeezed, which is already feeding into higher contract prices for panel makers.
From server racks to living rooms: how AI demand hits TV tags
The most immediate pressure point is price. Analysts tracking the market say AI-driven chip shortages could push electronics prices up between 5% and 20% in 2026, as global makers warn that the cost of key components is rising faster than they can absorb, according to one assessment of AI-driven. For a mid-range 65-inch TV that currently sells for $800, even the low end of that range would mean paying an extra $40, while the upper end could add more than $150, enough to push some buyers down a size or into a lower tier.
Samsung’s own component pricing tells the same story from another angle. Industry reporting notes that Samsung RAM prices have jumped by 60% as AI demand creates a shortage, with experts warning that the crunch is being created by infrastructure buildouts rather than consumer gadgets. When the cost of a core ingredient rises that sharply in a matter of months, I do not see how TV makers avoid passing at least part of that increase on, especially in segments like OLED and Mini LED where margins were already tight.
What Samsung is saying specifically about TVs
Samsung is not just talking in generalities about electronics, it is explicitly flagging televisions as being in the firing line. Company representatives have said that TVs will most likely be affected by the current memory crunch, noting that DRAM and NAND prices have doubled or even tripled in the past three to five months and that costs are still going up, according to detailed coverage on DRAM. If the chips that handle app switching and 4K streaming inside a TV suddenly cost two or three times as much, the bill of materials for each set balloons, particularly for models with larger memory footprints.
At CES 2026, Samsung executives signaled that a memory chip crunch could push up TV and electronics prices this year, explaining that while many mass-market devices have so far been shielded by long-term supply contracts, those buffers are thinning as AI players bid aggressively for the most advanced forms of memory, according to reports from Jan. I read that as a warning that the next product cycle, not the current one, is where shoppers will really feel the shift, especially as premium sets add more on-device AI features that themselves require extra RAM.
AI features on TVs: selling point or cost trap?
There is an irony here that is hard to ignore. Samsung is aggressively marketing AI-powered televisions that promise smarter upscaling, better voice control and more personalized recommendations, yet the same AI wave is making the chips inside those sets more expensive. Coverage of the company’s TV strategy notes that Samsung warns of price hikes as AI eats into chip supply, with executives describing higher tags as almost inevitable if the shortage continues, according to one analysis of Samsung. When I weigh that against the actual benefits of AI upscaling on a living room screen, the value proposition starts to look more complicated for anyone who mainly streams standard 4K content.
Samsung’s head of global marketing, Wonjin Lee, has already cautioned that AI is going to make TVs more expensive this year, telling Wonjin Lee that he expects “issues” around semiconductor supplies as AI demand ramps up. At the same time, Samsung warns that your next phone and laptop will also cost more as AI drains memory supplies, leaving less for consumer devices and pushing up prices across the board, according to a separate briefing on Samsung. For households planning a full tech refresh, that convergence means the AI boom could hit multiple line items at once.
Other forces that could amplify TV price shocks
Memory is not the only factor that could nudge TV prices higher in 2026. Trade policy is another wild card. Retail specialists warn that if delayed tariffs on televisions are allowed to kick in, retailers and manufacturers will have to adjust quickly, with price increases potentially hitting shelves within weeks of a decision and some models seeing increases of $100 to $300, according to guidance from Retailers and. Layer that on top of a memory-driven component spike and the combined effect could be far more noticeable than either factor alone.
There is also a broader macro story playing out. Analysts tracking AI-driven chip shortages say electronics prices could rise between 5% and 20% in 2026 as data centers soak up supply, a range reiterated in a separate summary of Switch Financial Ad. Another breakdown of the same trend underlines that global electronics makers are warning of higher costs as AI-driven chip shortages bite, reinforcing the idea that TVs are part of a much wider consumer squeeze, according to Signs You May. When I put all of this together, the message is clear: if you have been eyeing a new TV, waiting for another year of steep discounts may no longer be the safe bet it once was.
How shoppers can respond in an AI-fueled market
For consumers, the practical question is how to navigate this new landscape without overpaying. One option is to move sooner rather than later, especially if you are targeting mainstream 55 to 65 inch models that currently sit in the sweet spot of price and performance. Samsung executives have suggested that many mass-market electronics have been shielded so far because manufacturers typically lock in component prices months in advance, but that protection will fade as contracts roll over and AI buyers keep bidding up the most advanced memory, according to the CES commentary on Jan. If you find a current model that meets your needs at a good discount, I would treat that as a serious opportunity rather than assuming a better deal is guaranteed next Black Friday.
It is also worth recognizing that Samsung is not crying wolf in isolation. A separate account of the same interview with a Samsung co-CEO stresses that the company sees an unprecedented technology shortage that could affect smartphone and TV prices as AI data centers reshape the entire semiconductor industry, according to Samsung. When the leader of South Korea’s most valuable technology firm is effectively telling the world that AI is repricing the guts of modern electronics, I take that as a cue for buyers to be more strategic: focus on core picture quality, avoid paying a premium for AI tricks you may not use and be prepared for a world where the cheapest big screen in the store is not quite as cheap as it used to be.
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