--- title: "AAPL, HPQ, SNDK, WDC: Gene Munster Says 'Memory Hog' AI Will Trigger a Massive 2027 Upgrade Cycle" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/293300758.md" description: "Gene Munster predicts a massive hardware upgrade cycle starting in 2027, driven by AI applications demanding greater memory capacity. He identifies Apple (AAPL), HP (HPQ), SanDisk (SNDK), and Western Digital (WDC) as primary beneficiaries of this shift toward unified memory systems." datetime: "2026-07-21T06:01:41.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/293300758.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293300758.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/293300758.md) --- # AAPL, HPQ, SNDK, WDC: Gene Munster Says 'Memory Hog' AI Will Trigger a Massive 2027 Upgrade Cycle Deepwater Management Managing Partner **Gene Munster** predicts a major enterprise and consumer hardware refresh cycle beginning in 2027, driven by resource-intensive artificial intelligence applications that demand far greater memory capacity. Highlighting tech stocks **Apple Inc.** (NASDAQ:AAPL), **HP Inc.** (NYSE:HPQ), **SanDisk Corp.** (NASDAQ:SNDK), and **Western Digital Corp.** (NASDAQ:WDC), Munster framed these hardware and storage vendors as primary beneficiaries as local computer systems struggle to run advanced AI tools smoothly. ## Heavy AI Strains Consumer Laptops Munster’s industry forecast stems directly from practical testing of advanced software tools. Deepwater’s in-house AI guru **Doug Clinton** recently spent time “pounding on Grok’s Build (command line version of Claude Code and OpenAI Codex) last weekend.” Although Clinton found the platform’s overall results to be “impressive,” Munster pointed out that running such tools locally places an extraordinary burden on current hardware systems. He specifically characterized the command-line AI software as “a memory hog as evidence by his laptop shutting down,” demonstrating that existing commercial laptops are not equipped to support intensive local AI workflows. > Good news for $AAPL, $HPQ, $SNDK, $WDC. > > Deepwater's in-house AI guru @dougclinton was pounding on Grok's Build (command line version of Claude Code and OpenAI Codex) last weekend, and while the results were impressive, its a memory hog as evidence by his laptop shutting down.… > > — Gene Munster (@munster\_gene) July 20, 2026 **Read Also: Howard Lutnick Tells Samsung and SK Hynix They Have 'No Choice' but to Build US AI Memory Fabs— and Micron's CEO May Not Be Happy** ## **‘The Writing is on the Wall’ for Unified Memory** As corporate and consumer AI models grow increasingly sophisticated, current memory configurations face severe operational bottlenecks. Munster explained that hardware infrastructure must evolve rapidly to prevent system failures and handle heavy software loads effectively. “The writing is on the wall,” Munster cautioned regarding the upcoming technological shift. “In CY27 and beyond we will start to see an enterprise and consumer hardware upgrade cycle driven in part by the need for more unified memory.” ## **Market Beneficiaries of the Upcoming Upgrade Cycle** Ultimately, Munster views this hardware bottleneck as a significant market catalyst, opening his analysis with “Good news for $AAPL,$HPQ, $SNDK,$WDC.” As businesses and consumers find their existing laptops overwhelmed by advanced software, demand will inevitably shift toward next-generation devices equipped with expanded unified memory. This transition signals a key structural growth phase for personal computing and memory chip makers alike over the coming years. ## **How Have Munster’s Top Memory Picks Performed?** **Stock** **1-Month Performance** **YTD Performance** **6-Month Performance** Apple 9.59% 20.13% 54.65% HP 3.06% 8.71% \-3.35% SanDisk \-36.33% 485.96% 3196.87% Western Digital \-34.68% 182.94% 616.79% **Read Also: Apple's Reported Push To Buy Chinese Memory Chips Isn't About Lower Prices, It's About Surviving A Worsening AI-Driven Supply Crunch, Says Analyst** **_Disclaimer:_** _This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors._ Photo courtesy: Shutterstock ### Related Stocks - [WDC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WDC.US.md) - [SNDK.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SNDK.US.md) - [HPQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/HPQ.US.md) - [SNXX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SNXX.US.md) - [WDCX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WDCX.US.md) - [SNDG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SNDG.US.md) - [SNDQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SNDQ.US.md) - [SNDU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SNDU.US.md) - [AAPL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AAPL.US.md) - [OpenAI.NA](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/OpenAI.NA.md) - [SSNGY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SSNGY.US.md) - [MU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MU.US.md) - [WDCVV.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WDCVV.US.md) - [SMSN.UK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SMSN.UK.md) ## Related News & Research - [Sandisk forecasts mid-to-high-teens revenue growth through 2030](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295832646.md) - [Western Digital CEO Irving Tan disposes of USD 8.85 million in common shares](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295729047.md) - [HP Chief Commercial Officer David P. McQuarrie melepas 21.048 saham senilai $631.019,04](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295580932.md) - [Mission Wealth Management LP Buys 57,027 Shares of HP Inc. $HPQ](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295782183.md) - [SanDisk publishes Investor Day 2026 presentation outlining NAND flash technology roadmap and growth strategy](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295823215.md)