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The price increases and production adjustments of Intel and AMD server CPUs are forcing downstream manufacturers to focus on high-end models, leading to increased industry concentration and simultaneously creating an opportunity for domestic CPU alternatives.

Russia has extended its simplified import policy for electronic devices until the end of 2026, focusing on optimizing customs clearance procedures for network equipment such as routers and chips, as well as related components. Previously, the approval process for importing encrypted network equipment required 20-30 working days. With the policy optimization, companies can now apply through official Russian industry associations, shortening the approval period to 5-10 working days, an efficiency improvement of over 60%. Additionally, core components of network equipment used for domestic industrial production are exempt from import notification document requirements, effectively reducing import costs for the supply chain. This measure aims to counter external sanctions and ensure market supply, while also benefiting relevant Chinese export companies.  Leveraging policy and logistical advantages, Sino-Russian cross-border trade cooperation in network equipment is expected to accelerate further.

In early 2026, the global storage market experienced a surge, with prices rising across the board for both HDDs and SSDs. Mainstream high-capacity HDD models saw an average price increase of 46.41%, while enterprise-grade 8TB HDDs increased by over 115% within four months. Western Digital's 22TB enterprise HDDs rose to $520 in a single month, and supply was tight. SSDs saw an average price increase of 74.12%, with 1TB NVMe SSDs doubling in price. Samsung's enterprise-grade SSDs experienced both price increases and a premium on available stock due to NAND production limitations. The surge in demand for AI data storage was the primary driving force behind these price increases.

A Keybanc report indicates that Intel and AMD have sold out most of their server CPU production capacity for 2026 and plan to raise prices by 10%-15% in Q1.  The key drivers are the surge in demand for AI inference servers, the upcoming refresh cycle for general-purpose servers, and cost pressures. This is triggering pricing adjustments across the IT supply chain, and companies are advised to secure orders in advance or seek alternative solutions.

On January 12, HPE Aruba launched its first retail wireless product portfolio integrating Juniper Mist AI technology.  Centered around HPE Aruba User Experience Insight, this solution implements "autonomous networking" capabilities, enabling automated network operation and real-time user experience monitoring in retail environments through AI-native technology. This significantly improves store network stability and operational efficiency, marking a new phase in the commercial integration of technologies following HPE's acquisition of Juniper.

Driven by the AI ​​computing power boom, there is a global shortage of server memory/flash memory supply. Samsung and SK Hynix saw their server DRAM prices surge by 50%-60% in the first quarter, and tech giants like Google and Microsoft are scrambling to secure supplies.  Simultaneously benefiting from the increased demand for AI server components, Intel's Xeon CPU orders have surged, with orders for the entire year of 2026 already almost completely sold out. This supply-demand imbalance across the supply chain is triggering a chain reaction of cost increases.

On January 8th, several Cisco CBS250 and SG350 series switches for small and medium-sized businesses experienced a critical error in their DNS client service with firmware version 4.1.x, leading to a global network outage due to a continuous reboot loop. A temporary fix requires disabling DNS resolution and other related functions. Cisco is urgently developing a permanent solution.

The price increase trend for enterprise-grade HDDs continued into early 2026, with 6TB/12TB SATA models seeing a 10%-15% increase compared to the end of 2025.  Demand from AI data centers is the core driving force.  Seagate's unannounced 32TB IronWolf Pro NAS hard drive was spotted in Akihabara, Japan, priced at approximately 6160 RMB, setting a new price record for consumer-grade high-capacity HDDs.

The storage industry is experiencing a major shake-up at the start of 2026, with Samsung and SK Hynix announcing a 60%-70% surge in Q1 server DRAM contract prices.  The surge in AI demand, coupled with a shift in production capacity, has led to a supply-demand imbalance. Global tech giants are flocking to South Korea to secure production capacity, and the price increase is expected to continue until 2027.

Lenovo and NVIDIA will jointly launch the RTX Pro AI server at Tech World on January 6th.  Integrating Neptune liquid cooling technology and Blackwell architecture chips, this server focuses on AI automation scenarios in industrial and logistics sectors, providing powerful computing capabilities to support intelligent decision-making across the entire process. The two companies aim to increase their collaboration fivefold in the next two years, accelerating the application of AI technology in the real economy.