TO:
All Principals
All Directors
All Administrative Assistants
FROM:
Tonya Hodges, Senior Buyer, Purchasing
With the excitement of AI and the increased demand for data centers worldwide (think OpenAI, Meta, Google, Microsoft, xAI, Anthropic, etc.), the demand for processing chips, RAM memory and storage is exceeding the availability in the production markets.
HP is warning customers to expect pricing on any equipment needing processors, memory or storage to increase significantly in 2026. We may also start seeing longer manufacturing lead times as they wait for parts to become available. For instance, the basic HP Fortis G10 11.6” Chromebooks (part# 9R3A9UT#ABA) will soon be replaced with a newer model and will no longer be available. There are currently about 75,000 of these units still available in the HP distribution channels. Since these have already been built, price should not fluctuate too much, but supplies may dwindle quickly. It is recommended if you have funds available in your budgets to start purchasing devices for the 2026-27 school year as soon as possible to take advantage of the cost savings. January pricing is $206.47/each for this model.
The replacement for this model (part# B69P5UT#ABA) is at $289.75/each for January. As price increases on the parts come into play, this model is expected to see additional price increases during the year.
We encourage you to consider placing orders soon to take advantage of current pricing and availability. Please contact Tonya Hodges in Purchasing if you need assistance with ordering.