“It might be wishful thinking but personally I’d like the industry to work collectively to ensure there is not a monopoly of available memory and storage for the AI superpowers”
Ian Anderson, Field CTO, Natilik
Some of the big hardware vendors are now reserving the right to adjust pricing on orders up to the point of shipment. Have you seen anything like this before, and how big a disruption is this to the way the channel usually operates?
Yes, we’ve seen it before during the pandemic and amid chip shortages earlier this decade.
Reducing the time validity on a quote creates some practical and logistical challenges so it’s important for the channel to ensure our clients understand the market dynamics and adjust their procurement processes accordingly.
Given the shortages are being caused by AI data centres, to what extent do you have sympathy with vendors who are having to tweak their Ts and Cs?
I understand it’s a challenge for the industry, but vendors and the channel need to accept that the excitement/opportunity around AI has brought about the excessive demand in the market.
It might be wishful thinking but personally I’d like the industry to work collectively to ensure there is not a monopoly of available memory and storage for the AI superpowers but an equitable distribution of available stock across the market so all businesses can continue to evolve.
What will be the knock-on effect, for instance in terms of favouring alternative vendors, cloud-based solutions or second-user equipment?
I suspect the impact will be felt mostly acutely in enterprise and mid-market customers, so this is where the channel adds value by ensuring clients are presented with all available options to meet their needs, be that alternate vendors, cloud solutions or vendor-assured refreshed technology.
Cisilion’s Rob Quickenden weighs in on next page…
