AI PC Outlook Faces Hardware Supply Challenges in the Year of the Horse

The PC market entered a critical AI PC replacement cycle in the 2026 Year of the Horse, with Intel Panther Lake and Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite products arriving. Microsoft’s termination of Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025, has also made corporate device replacement demand a key source of support for the market.

The latest supply pressure comes from persistently rising memory prices and CPU shortages caused by Intel prioritizing production capacity for AI accelerators. The industry expects memory and processor costs to rise in tandem, potentially pushing mainstream laptop prices up by as much as 40%. Even with upgraded specifications in new models, growth in the consumer PC market could remain constrained.