China's AI Hardware Price Surge Drives 3C Rental Demand to Double

For over a year, a wave of price increases has swept through the hardware supply chain, affecting memory, graphics cards, and CPUs. This upward pricing momentum continues to ripple into end markets, leading to price hikes in consumer electronics such as computers and smartphones across China.

"Take the computer category, for example. In July, rental orders on our platform exceeded 20,000 units, a 20% increase compared to June. Compared to July last year, the growth is even more dramatic—up 115%," said Yang Daiming, operations lead at Huizu, a consumer electronics rental company based in Hangzhou.

According to a report by the *Sci-Tech Innovation News* on the 8th (Saturday), Yang observed a significant shift in rental categories. "Previously, consumers rented computers mainly for daily office work or gaming. But this year, an increasing number of customers are renting computers for AI applications, such as Apple Macmini units and RTX5090 graphics cards."

With the arrival of summer vacation, demand for concert photography phones and travel cameras has surged. Huizu's platform data shows that in July, rental orders for concert phones exceeded 40,000 units, a 75% month-on-month increase and a staggering 20-fold year-on-year growth. Camera rentals also surpassed 40,000 units in July, up 25% month-on-month and fourfold year-on-year.

"Concert phones and telephoto cameras were already fully rented out a month ago. We've worked hard over the past month to replenish inventory and have purchased large quantities of new stock," said Li Changwei, General Manager of Kamo Rental.

Li also presented a price chart for memory cards compiled by the company. While memory cards are relatively low-cost items—priced between dozens to hundreds of yuan—they represent a significant cost increase in high-volume camera rental operations.

"It's not a major cost in the overall structure, but this year we've had to pay extra attention to memory card prices," Li said. The company has recently increased its monthly procurement volume. "Buying in larger quantities at once allows us to negotiate better prices with suppliers."

For Kamo Rental, monthly memory card purchases have risen from 100–200 units to 200–300. "We're now buying enough to cover about two months' supply in a single batch."

When asked why they're stockpiling, Li candidly admitted, "We expect prices to rise even further. We must prepare in advance, or else we'll face much higher costs. Sometimes, it's not just the price—availability becomes an issue. There was a period when certain high-speed, specialized memory cards were simply impossible to procure."

The trend highlights how rising hardware costs, driven by AI demand and supply constraints, are reshaping consumer behavior and business strategies in China's tech rental sector. Companies are adapting by increasing procurement volumes, adjusting pricing models, and expanding service offerings to meet evolving customer needs.