What Australian IT teams need to know

HP device refresh coming up? We asked some of our team about what Australian IT teams need to know to avoid delays, surprises, and pricing shocks. 

Q. What’s happening with the global DRAM shortage right now, and what are you seeing locally in Australia? 

A. “Since around September 2025, we’ve seen some very sharp and sudden movement in global memory pricing, and that’s now flowing through locally in Australia. In just a few months, DRAM prices have increased by around 300 to 400 per cent, and that’s impacting the cost of laptops, desktops and really anything that contains memory; including networking equipment.

We’re also seeing vendors apply regular month-on-month increases of around 8 to 10 per cent on endpoint devices. At this stage, pricing hasn’t shown clear signs of stabilising, and in some cases certain memory components are simply no longer available, with lead times stretching out as well. The primary driver behind all of this is the massive global demand coming from AI hyperscalers.” - Warwick Smith 
 

Q. For Australian businesses looking to buy HP devices in the next few months, what’s the real impact? Delays, configuration changes, or pricing pressure? 

A. “For Australian businesses planning to purchase devices over the next few months, the biggest impact we’re seeing right now is pricing pressure. There are ongoing increases across RAM and SSD components, and Intel has already flagged further rises of around 10 to 25 per cent, which are expected to flow through into endpoint pricing. This isn’t specific to any one vendor – it’s an industry-wide supply chain issue that’s affecting all major manufacturers. We’re also seeing quotes held for much shorter periods, often around two weeks, which makes pricing harder to lock in for FY26 planning. Configuration changes are becoming more common as well, particularly where specific memory or storage components are harder to source and vendors substitute equivalent parts. While we haven’t seen critical shortages yet, demand is increasing and more customers are placing bulk orders earlier than usual, which could lead to lead-time impacts with very little notice. The risk is highest for large fleet refreshes, where even small price movements can quickly become a significant budget issue.” - Lachlan Jefferies 

Q. What’s your best advice right now for IT teams who have upcoming refreshes planned and can’t afford surprises? 

A. “The most important advice for IT teams right now is to engage earlier than usual. Don’t wait until EOFY to start planning, because both pricing and availability are moving very quickly. Where possible, try to lock in quotes sooner and be mindful that quote validity periods are much shorter than they used to be. We’re also encouraging customers to think about staged ordering – for example securing the first 30 to 50 per cent of a rollout early – to reduce exposure if conditions change. If budgets allow, pre-purchasing and holding stock, either on site or through a partner warehouse, can help protect delivery timelines. Where CAPEX is tight, device-as-a-service or OPEX-style models can also help smooth out some of the price volatility. Standardising models and configurations wherever possible is another practical way to reduce supply risk, and it’s worth building a contingency buffer into FY26 refresh budgets – we’re already seeing scenarios where 30 to 50 per cent uplifts are being discussed depending on timing and availability. Finally, working with your partner early to agree on acceptable substitutions, such as alternative SSD sizes or RAM profiles, can prevent deployments from stalling later on.” - Lachlan Jefferies

Q. Are there certain device configurations or use cases that are more affected than others – and how should buyers think about flexibility? 

A. “We’re seeing the biggest impact at the lower end of memory configurations, particularly where customers need low-capacity DIMMs such as 8GB and 16GB in server environments – those parts are currently experiencing very long lead times. Interestingly, higher-capacity DIMMs are generally still available, but the trade-off is significantly higher pricing. From a buyer’s perspective, this means flexibility is critical right now – both in terms of capacity profiles and how configurations are designed. Being open to adjusting memory sizing or rebalancing configurations can make a real difference to delivery timeframes, even if it requires a rethink of the original specification.” - Braidon Malloch 

Q. If you could give one practical tip to Australian organisations planning device purchases in an uncertain supply environment, what would it be?

A. “My one practical tip for Australian organisations right now is to be very honest about whether you genuinely need new devices immediately, or whether you can safely extend the life of what you already have. If the business absolutely requires new devices, it’s worth moving sooner rather than later to reduce exposure to further price increases. But if your current fleet can realistically be stretched for another 12 to 24 months without impacting users or security, it’s well worth exploring that option in the current supply environment.” - Braidon Malloch

Don’t let device delays catch you off guard.  Ask us how we can help.