A surge in the cost of memory is yet another reason electronics manufacturers must consider investing in designed-for-disassembly sustainable components, warns a leading-edge UK tech firm.
Tech media is reporting that the scramble for AI dominance and cloud computing is having a massive impact on prices in the memory market.
ComputerBase research suggests the most sought-after high-capacity HDDs are now close to 50% more expensive in Europe than they were at the end of 2025, while Simon Chen, chairman of major hardware manufacturer ADATA, told DigiTimes Asia that customers can expect the problem to last at least four years.
Emma Armstrong, Sustainable Electronics Ambassador and Group Commercial Director at In2tec, is an advocate for modular technology – where components can be easily repaired, replaced, and recycled – and its economic and environmental benefits.
She said: “We can add AI to the growing list of factors affecting the stable supply of memory and other components. The industry is already struggling with barriers to supply such as trade embargoes, an erratic political landscape, growing raw material scarcity, and tighter green legislation.
“As troubling as this situation is, OEMs should take comfort from the fact they are not alone, and there is a long-term solution – the adoption of modular electronics with components that support system memory capacity configuration and are easily replaced, repaired, upgraded, and disposed of safely.”
Emma adds that component reuse is now an important strategic issue as it allows the tech sector to reduce its reliance on volatile international supply chains and virgin material costs, while accelerating its transition to more sustainable electronics.
“As well as reducing exposure to supply chain upheaval, sustainable electronics allow manufacturers to pursue additional revenue opportunities through the reuse and resale of valid operational components,” she said.
The design of traditional circuit boards has barely evolved in decades, making circularity in the electronics industry economically unviable. Stress caused to de-soldered components by the reclamation process can limit the opportunity to regain viable materials and is therefore inefficient, destroys value, and is costly in terms of emissions/energy.
In2tec aims to slash the harrowing environmental and societal impact of ewaste and provide innovative solutions to the growing problem of throwaway electronics.
The company’s signature ReUSE® and ReCYCLE™ are alternatives that comprise a closed-loop process, allowing manufacturers to remove and harvest uncontaminated components from existing electronics at the end of their useful life and reuse them. RAM and other memory chips, for example, include metals such as lead and other restricted substances that are difficult to dispose of, as well as reclaimable materials like copper.
ReUSE® is a series of materials, processes and design principles used to manufacture printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs), while ReCYCLE™ is the ultra-low energy process for unzipping PCBAs – the foundation of nearly all technology – to the original bill of materials (BoM).
The technology’s versatility allows global commercialisation and a vast reduction in the overall energy used to manufacture and process when it reaches its end of life, something that is impossible when using conventional PCBA processes or materials.
Discover more about In2tec’s technology at in2tec.com/reuse
