Is the Stock Market Plunge Caused by the PHP Vulnerability? Is the AI Bubble Starting to Burst? The Impact of Semiconductor Price Drops on Gaming PCs [October 2026]
Hello everyone, good morning or good evening.
This is SippoPC.
Recently, there have been some concerning movements in the stock market.
In particular, stock prices related to AI and semiconductors have fallen significantly, and voices on social media and elsewhere have begun to ask, “Is the AI bubble about to burst?”
Furthermore, on October 21st, a critical PHP vulnerability called “PHP2Shell” became a hot topic, and there are moves in the IT industry to scramble for security responses.
With these news items overlapping, the following question comes to mind.
“Is the recent stock market decline caused by the PHP issue? Or has the AI bubble finally started to burst?”
And, as a PC enthusiast, there is one more thing I am curious about.
“If semiconductor company stock prices fall, won’t graphics cards and gaming PCs become cheaper too?”
This time, based on information as of October 26, 2026, I will organize what is happening in the IT industry and the impact on us PC users.
1. First, how much have stock prices fallen recently?
In the U.S. stock market on October 22nd, there was a significant decline, centered on high-tech related stocks.
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NASDAQ Composite Index: down about 2.6% from the previous day
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S&P 500: down about 1.2% from the previous day
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PHLX Semiconductor Sector Index (SOX): down about 6.7%
The decline in semiconductor-related stocks was particularly large, and companies like AMD and Intel were also sold off.
The impact spread to the Japanese market as well, with the Nikkei Stock Average falling 503.51 yen from the previous business day to close at 62,189.65 yen on October 26th.
However, it is not the case that all Japanese stocks are falling. The TOPIX rose slightly on the same day.
In other words, currently, rather than the entire market collapsing at once, the situation is one where selling is prominent in stocks related to AI and semiconductors.
So, why is this sector being sold off now?
2. Did the stock price fall due to the impact of PHP2Shell?
First, let’s look at the PHP issue that coincided with this timing.
On October 21, 2026, two critical vulnerabilities in PHP were announced.
Known as “PHP2Shell,” this issue could allow an attacker to execute unauthorized programs on a server from the outside under certain conditions.
The CVSS v4.0 scores indicating the severity are both 9.2.
PHP is one of the technologies that powers websites and web services around the world. Therefore, it could potentially affect corporate web systems and more.
However, there is a point to keep in mind here.
While PHP2Shell is a serious security issue, it does not mean that failures have occurred in every service that uses PHP.
Patched versions have already been released, and organizations are required to take measures such as updating.
So, did this issue cause the stock market decline?
Based on market reports available at this time, no clear evidence has been found to attribute the significant drop in AI and semiconductor stocks to PHP2Shell.
Of course, if a major breach or service outage is confirmed at a specific company in the future, it could affect that company’s credibility and performance.
However, it is premature to directly link PHP vulnerabilities to the global decline in AI-related stocks.
Other factors are being more strongly considered regarding this stock market decline.
3. What is really being watched is the “profitability of AI investment”
The AI industry has grown rapidly over the past few years.
Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, has become widespread, and companies are investing huge amounts of capital into AI development and operations.
What is needed for that are facilities such as GPUs, servers, memory, and data centers.
NVIDIA, AMD, and semiconductor manufacturing and inspection equipment makers have benefited from this expansion in demand.
In fact, in the financial results announced by NVIDIA in August 2026, the data center division accounted for $89 billion out of $96.2 billion in quarterly revenue.
This shows just how large the AI-related infrastructure business has become.
However, a new question is emerging among investors.
“Can we really recover enough profit after investing this much money into AI?”
For example, even if a massive amount of money is spent to build a data center, if the revenue generated from AI services falls below expectations, it will take a long time to recoup the investment.
Furthermore, for companies that are investing through borrowing, rising interest rates are also becoming a burden.
In the U.S. stock decline on October 22, there was a movement among investors to re-evaluate the sustainability of AI investments, against the backdrop of concerns over Meta’s AI-related spending.
In other words, this stock price decline is not because the AI technology itself has suddenly stopped being used.
Stock prices that had risen based on expectations for the future of AI are beginning to be re-evaluated to see if they are commensurate with actual profits and investment burdens.
4. Is this the beginning of the AI bubble burst?
I think this is the most concerning part this time.
Personally, I believe there is a strong possibility that the parts where expectations for AI were running too far ahead will be re-evaluated.
However, at this point, it cannot be concluded that the “AI bubble has burst.”
In the first place, a decline in stock prices and the decline of the technology or market itself are different stories.
For example, during the IT bubble burst around 2000, the stock prices of many internet-related companies fell significantly.
However, the internet itself did not disappear after that.
Rather, it took a long time to become an indispensable infrastructure for society.
AI may follow a similar path.
Even if the valuations of AI-related companies fall, it does not necessarily mean that the trend of utilizing AI in business will stop.
Conversely, there is also a possibility that profits will not grow as expected and investments will be significantly reduced.
What is important is not just stock prices, but how corporate profits, investment plans for AI facilities, and actual demand for AI services change.
Currently, it would be more appropriate to describe this as a phase of re-evaluating expectations for AI and actual earnings, rather than saying the “AI bubble burst is confirmed.”
5. If semiconductor stocks fall, will graphics cards become cheaper too?
From here on, let’s think from the perspective of a PC user, as is typical for SippoPC.
It feels like if NVIDIA or AMD stock prices drop, the prices of gaming PCs and graphics cards should also go down.
However, in reality, it is not that simple.
This is because stock prices and the retail prices of PC parts are not directly linked.
The price of a graphics card is influenced by many factors, including semiconductor manufacturing costs, memory prices, inventory, exchange rates, distribution volume, and demand.
For example, even if AI-related stocks fall, if the demand for GPUs for AI data centers remains high, semiconductor production capacity may continue to be allocated to AI.
In that case, it does not necessarily mean that products for gaming PCs will become cheaper immediately.
In fact, on September 30, 2026, the semiconductor market research firm TrendForce announced a forecast that DRAM contract prices for the fourth quarter of 2026 would rise by 10-15% and NAND Flash by 15-20% compared to the previous quarter.
While this is not the retail price for general consumers itself, it is one of the reasons why memory and SSD prices tend to remain high.
Also, there are supply constraints on the GDDR memory used in graphics cards.
In other words, just because AI-related stocks have fallen does not mean that the surge in PC part prices will end immediately..
6. What if AI investment shrinks in earnest?
So, what happens if AI-related companies reduce their data center investments in the future?
This is not necessarily all bad news for PC users.
If the demand that was concentrated on AI-related semiconductors and memory settles down, the supply crunch may ease.
As a result, it is possible that prices for PC memory, SSDs, and the like will move toward stabilization.
However, factory production plans cannot be changed immediately, and it may take time for prices to drop.
Furthermore, if manufacturers reduce production in line with the decrease in demand, prices may not drop as much as expected.
What is important for gaming PCs is not just the movements of the stock market, but the actual changes in component supply and retail prices.
For example, if you are considering an RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT, it is more practical to compare the actual retail prices, VRAM capacity, and gaming performance of the models you want to buy rather than the stock prices of semiconductor companies.
SippoPC has published a page where you can compare the performance and usage guidelines for each GPU.
▶ GPU GUIDE | Graphics Board Performance Comparison
It is important to make decisions based on actual gaming performance and price, rather than being swayed by stock market news.
7. Is it dangerous to buy a gaming PC now?
After reading this far, some of you might be thinking, “Wouldn’t it be cheaper if I waited a little longer?”
Certainly, depending on future trends in AI investment, the price environment for PC parts could change.
However, at this moment, there is no material to predict when a significant price drop might occur.
In particular, I do not think those who need a PC right now need to postpone their purchase just because of the stock market decline.
On the other hand, if you can play comfortably on your current PC, not rushing to replace it and making a decision while watching price movements is also an option.
For example, are you playing competitive games like APEX Legends in Full HD, or do you want to enjoy heavy titles like Cyberpunk 2077 in WQHD or 4K?
The required GPU performance varies significantly.
The important thing is not the mindset of “buying it because it’s a new GPU,” but rather “buying the performance necessary for the games you want to play.”
SippoPC introduces the PC specs required for each game and recommended configurations.
▶ GAME PC GUIDE | Recommended PCs by Game
We also have a diagnostic page for those who want to consider a PC configuration based on their budget.
▶ PC BUILD CHECK | PC Configuration Diagnosis by Budget
Precisely because it is a time when PC prices are hard to predict, it is also important not to buy parts with higher performance than necessary.
8. Summary | What PC users should focus on rather than the AI bubble
To summarize the recent stock market decline, it can be viewed as follows at this time.
Relationship with PHP2Shell
While this is a serious security issue, there is no confirmed evidence to conclude that it directly triggered the recent decline in AI and semiconductor stocks.
Possibility of an AI Bubble Burst
Concerns are growing over whether sufficient profits can be generated from the massive investments in AI-related companies. However, this does not mean the bursting of the AI bubble is certain.
Impact on Gaming PCs
A decline in semiconductor stocks does not immediately lead to lower prices for GPUs or memory. Future AI capital investment, memory supply, and exchange rates will be important factors.
AI has now become a major force influencing not only gaming GPUs but the entire semiconductor industry.
As a result, AI-related news is no longer irrelevant even to PC users who have previously had little interest in the stock market.
Will the AI boom continue, or will investments settle down?
The outcome may also affect the future supply and pricing of PC components.
At SippoPC, we will continue to introduce not only information on GPUs and PC parts but also news about the industry as a whole, in an easy-to-understand manner from the perspective of PC users.
Do you think gaming PC prices will become cheaper if AI-related investments settle down in the future?
Or do you think AI demand will continue to expand?
Please let us know your opinions.
Reference Information/Sources
*This article is based on information available as of October 26, 2026. Stock prices and product prices fluctuate, so this does not guarantee future market trends. This article is not intended as investment advice.