PC Industry Restarts DDR4 Memory and Motherboard Production as AI-Driven HBM Demand Creates Unprecedented Consumer Memory Shortage

Memory manufacturers and motherboard makers are restarting DDR4 production in response to unprecedented consumer DRAM shortages, as AI infrastructure buildout continues to monopolize HBM and premium DDR5 manufacturing capacity. The reversal signals a supply chain distortion deep enough that the PC industry is preparing contingency plans around older memory standards rather than wait for DDR5 supply to normalize. The trend is a downstream consequence of the same AI memory crunch that has pushed DRAM prices up sharply throughout 2026.