This article is written in English for international readers.
When smartphones and PCs get more expensive, we usually talk about money.
This time, I want to talk about how we live.
Introduction: This Is Not a Price Guide
Recently, there has been growing news about shortages and rising prices for smartphones and personal computers.
The cause is not consumer demand, but the explosive expansion of AI data centers, which has led to a global shortage of memory chips.
According to industry analysts, this shortage may push device prices significantly higher in the coming years.
However, this article is not about how to avoid higher prices.
It is about something more fundamental:
How do we define value — and ourselves — in an inflationary world?
When Inflation Becomes Normal
I replaced my smartphone and tablet about a year ago, and my PC roughly six months later.
Thanks to that timing, I do not feel immediate pressure from this news.
I can probably continue using my current devices for several more years.
But Japan, where I live, experienced long periods of deflation.
Now that era is clearly ending.
Electronics, daily necessities, and services are all being exposed to continuous inflation.
It would not be surprising if, in a few years, a mid-range smartphone costs the equivalent of several hundred dollars more than today.
In such a world, I want to increase my personal value — and at the same time, use investments as a way to protect myself from inflation.
I invest heavily in AI and semiconductor-related stocks, including NVIDIA.
If AI continues to grow smoothly, this may work out very well.
But reality is rarely that simple.
Semiconductor prices could fall.
Supply constraints could ease.
And device prices might stabilize again.
Nothing is guaranteed.
When Chips Become Assets
In the United States, some companies have already begun using advanced semiconductor chips as collateral for loans.
They borrow money using chips to invest in even more computing infrastructure.
Traditionally, collateral meant land, gold, or physical property.
Now, high-performance chips are joining that list.
This shift suggests something important:
Value is no longer limited to what is heavy, visible, or permanent.
It can be technical, temporary, and deeply specialized.
Watching this change made me reflect on something closer to home.
Could My Own Traits Become an Asset?
A chip that was “just a component” yesterday can suddenly become collateral — an asset — today.
That made me wonder:
Could the traits that make my life difficult also become assets someday?
I have strong personal fixations and sensitivities — traits often associated with disability or neurodivergence.
They have made everyday life harder, not easier.
So far, they have felt like liabilities.
Is it naive to think they might someday be seen as strengths? Is that just wishful thinking?
Perhaps.
Still, I believe one thing.
Waiting passively for good fortune to arrive is something I already do through stock investing.
I do not want to do the same with my life.
Instead, I want to explore how I can make use of who I already am, rather than waiting to become someone else.
Closing Thoughts
In an inflationary world:
*I want to build assets that can withstand rising prices
*I see a future where even computer parts become financial collateral
*And while my personal traits may or may not become “assets” to others,
I still want to search for a way to live that makes use of myself.
As the world continues to change, I hope to keep living — carefully, flexibly, and honestly.
Thank you for reading.
If you are new here, you can explore more beginner-friendly articles in English. t-kuma.net
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