AI Boom Turns RAM Into a Luxury Item
TL;DR
RAM prices have surged over the past 18 months due to AI-driven demand, with major makers Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron diverting wafers to high-end HBM for AI workloads; consumer RAM like 16GB DDR5-4800 has risen from under $100 to over $400, while 32GB DDR5-6000 has jumped from about $250 to more than $1,200. Analysts warn relief is unlikely until at least 2027–2030 as capacity remains tight and new factories take years to come online; AI data centers are absorbing a large share of global RAM, with little surplus for consumer markets.
- Why Are RAM Prices So High Right Now? Engadget
- Phison CEO Warns NAND Supply Won’t Meet Demand For Four Years, Locking In Higher SSD Prices Through 2030 wccftech.com
- A.I.-Driven Chip Crunch Leads to New Rush of Lobbying in Washington The New York Times
- What is ‘chipflation’ and why is it making all your electronics more expensive? The Independent
- While the world builds more memory chips, Israel could reinvent them calcalistech.com
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