An AI-driven shortage of memory chips could raise costs and create supply challenges for medical device makers as data centers consume more of the components.
Memory chip prices have quadrupled over the past year, and medical device makers are among industries asking the federal government for help securing the chips they need, according to an Aug. 10 New York Times report.
The shortage could persist for the next two years, according to Dan Kim, chief strategy officer at research firm TechInsights. The supply constraints could affect both the price and availability of medical equipment.
“It’s also possible the prices of your M.R.I. machines may go up, or worse than that, that M.R.I. machine may not get made,” Mr. Kim told The Times.
Hospitals are already feeling AI’s chip appetite on the IT side, with rising GPU costs tied to AI infrastructure pushing up technology budgets at some health systems this year. However, it’s a different dynamic than the 2021 chip shortage, when device makers competed directly with automakers and consumer electronics companies for semiconductor allocation and saw lead times for parts stretch from three months to 15 months.
The memory chip shortage also adds to a supply chain already strained by tariffs on device components, roughly 69% of which are manufactured solely overseas. Supply chain leaders heading into 2026 have flagged technology and AI adoption as a growing factor in how they navigate cost pressures, alongside more familiar concerns like tariffs and reimbursement.
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