December 29, 2025 – As the final weekend of 2025 approaches, stores in Tokyo’s Akihabara district are bustling with end-of-year promotions. However, the persistent supply crunch for memory and storage products continues to cast a shadow over the festive atmosphere.
At Dospara’s Akihabara flagship store, the manager noted that while memory prices remain on an upward trajectory, they have managed to maintain sufficient stock levels. “Customers shouldn’t face situations where they travel here specifically for components but leave empty-handed,” he assured, though he acknowledged the challenging market conditions.
The situation appears more dire for graphics cards, with several retailers reporting empty shelves. While GPU prices haven’t surged as dramatically as memory or SSDs, industry observers warn this stability might be temporary. “The difference lies in inventory turnover rates,” explained one merchant. “Price hikes are likely inevitable.”
In response, major retailers like TSUKUMO eX. have implemented purchase limits on high-demand models, restricting customers to one unit each of NVIDIA’s RTX 5060 Ti 16GB and AMD’s Radeon RX 9000 series cards. “Securing large-capacity GPUs has become extremely difficult,” the store revealed. “We have stock now, but can’t guarantee future availability or delivery timelines.”
This uncertainty is spreading across the district. Another computer shop owner expressed concerns about mid-range models: “The shortage isn’t limited to premium GPUs. Even 8GB and 16GB variants of RTX 5060 Ti and RX 9060 XT are affected. Restocking the 16GB versions will likely become impossible.”
These developments follow earlier reports from ChosunBiz indicating that leading manufacturers like ASUS, HP, and Dell are struggling with DRAM allocation due to constrained production capacities. To secure supplies, these companies are bypassing traditional distributors and negotiating long-term contracts directly with memory giants Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.
