Three factors are contributing to this summer’s rise in computer prices: AI, security, and chip shortages. The times call for cool, calculated thinking about the technology you have and what you need.

AI has upped the ante considerably because it’s so necessary for many business applications. AI is also a necessity to run all the security measures needed to combat the increasingly complex technologies used by hackers to get into any system.

The rapid expansion of AI continues to create a significant demand for memory chips, particularly DRAM chips, and that has led to a supply/demand imbalance that still persists. In turn, prices for memory chips have surged, affecting the overall cost of consumer electronics, including computers. Apple had been trying to hold the line on its prices, but it just raised them.

Your bottom line is that a $3,000 price tag for computers is coming. And if you have computers that are more than three years old, they may not cut it. To provide adequate performance for today’s business environment, an AI-ready computer must be able to perform at least 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS) just for basic operations. That jumps to 80 TOPS for more intensive AI tasks and ensures that a computer can handle advanced applications and workloads for next-generation AI software and features.

We can help you navigate the price/performance balance by looking at your computers and your computing needs. Based on how your business or organization uses computers, we can help you determine which units are most in need of performance upgrades and develop a plan to redeploy your units. This can maximize the efficiency of your total complement of computers while – hopefully – reducing the number of new units you need to purchase. We can combine our assessment with a security audit to shore up weaknesses in your system.

Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to set up an appointment to discuss your needs and options, including a plan for the next few years to help your long-term budgeting.