Dell'Oro

Wi-Fi 8 Expected Earlier as DDR4 Shortage Forces Market Acceleration

Corporate Wi-Fi 8 equipment could reach the market in 2027, earlier than initially projected, because of ongoing shortages and rising prices of DDR4 memory chips. Although individual access points do not require large amounts of memory, vendors purchase components in massive volumes, so even modest price increases significantly raise production costs. Dell'Oro Group recommends redesigning devices to reduce reliance on the most expensive modules, noting that faster adaptation will lead to more competitive pricing. The DDR4 shortage is effectively accelerating the transition to the next wireless generation. At the same time, Wi-Fi 7 is not being retired soon; analysts forecast triple-digit revenue growth for Wi-Fi 7 equipment in 2026, with the segment continuing to expand for another three years. Cloud-managed WLAN solutions and AIOps features are also driving market growth, increasing software revenue even as high component costs partially cool overall demand.