Is AI killing laptop upgradeability?

PCWorld examines how AI data centers are driving up RAM prices and reducing availability for laptop consumers, while manufacturers increasingly solder memory chips directly to motherboards. This trend forces users to pay higher upfront costs for desired RAM configurations since future upgrades become impossible, unlike traditional laptops with replaceable components. The combination of AI-driven demand and non-upgradeable designs creates lasting performance limitations for power users and higher costs for all consumers. By now, you've probably heard a thing or two about AI, specifically how AI data centers are hoarding massive amounts of RAM and taking it away from consumers. That surge in demand has rippled outward, affecting everything from environmental impact to rising RAM prices, and it's a real bummer if you're in the market for a laptop in 2026.