India, Sept. 22 -- AI's exploding demand for memory chips is squeezing smartphone supply and pushing prices sharply higher

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated SEMICON India 2026 in New Delhi on September 17, the spotlight was on India's ambition to become a serious semiconductor player.

But there is another semiconductor story that deserves attention: the chip shortage created by the AI boom is already reaching the smartphone in your hand.

AI data centers consume enormous quantities of processors and memory. As companies race to build AI data centers, semiconductor manufacturers are prioritizing products for this rapidly growing market. The result is pressure on memory chips used in smartphones (and laptops), and sharply high...