RAM price hikes: the latest on the global memory shortage

Jan 15, 2026 08:35 PM - 4 months ago 120215

Random entree memory, aliases RAM, is successful conscionable astir each portion of exertion we use. But it’s besides the exertion that AI companies for illustration OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta are utilizing to powerfulness the servers successful their monolithic information centers. Now, the world’s biggest representation makers — Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron — are taking advantage of a surge successful demand, shifting their resources away from consumer-focused products and toward much lucrative deals pinch AI companies.

The consequence is simply a terrible shortage successful RAM for user products, which is not only contributing to value hikes connected the RAM kits utilized by PC builders but besides for the manufacturers of a scope of devices, including laptops, smartphones, gaming consoles, and a full batch more. Some companies, like Raspberry Pi and Framework, person already raised the prices of their products arsenic a consequence of the increase, while others, like Dell, Asus, Acer, Xiaomi, and Nothing, person warned astir value hikes coming soon.

It doesn’t look for illustration the RAM shortage is going to subside anytime soon, arsenic analysts astatine the International Data Corporation predict that it could “persist good into 2027.” Here’s each the latest news connected the rising value of RAM.

RAM is ruining everything
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
Memory suppliers conscionable blew a spread successful the PC gaming manufacture – and they’re astir to do the aforesaid to everything else. For weeks, PC enthusiasts person borne the brunt of skyrocketing representation prices, but the shockwaves will soon effect a wider scope of products arsenic suppliers move resources into a acold bigger and much lucrative endeavor: AI.
The biggest names successful the AI manufacture are buying up DRAM representation for their sprawling information centers, and representation makers are prioritizing their demands complete everyone else’s. DRAM is embedded “in each portion of our integer nine today,” Jeff Janukowicz, investigation VP astatine IDC, tells The Verge. That’s everything from laptops to smartphones, gaming consoles, smart TVs, cars, and moreover mini amounts successful solid-state drives (SSDs). “There’s a batch astatine stake,” he says.
Read Article >
Nothing will “inevitably” hike smartphone prices because of rising representation costs.
That’s according to Nothing CEO Carl Pei, who, successful a large station connected X, besides said that:
Memory is accelerated becoming 1 of the astir costly smartphone components and perchance the azygous largest costs driver successful the measure of materials by year-end, pinch estimates suggesting that representation modules which costs little than $20 a twelvemonth agone could transcend $100 by year-end for top-tier models.
Micron says its determination to unopen down Crucial is meant to “help” consumers.
During an question and reply pinch Wccftech, Micron VP of trading Christopher Moore says the institution is still serving consumers “through different channels,” specified arsenic focusing connected supplying DRAM modules to instrumentality manufacturers for illustration Dell and Asus:
Our viewpoint is that we are trying to thief consumers astir the world. We’re conscionable doing it done different channels. We still person a very sizable business successful the customer and mobile markets... I deliberation it’s really important for group to understand we are still servicing the user market.
Framework hikes desktop PC prices arsenic RAM shortage drags on
Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
Just weeks aft raising the value of its RAM modules, Framework has announced that it’s besides expanding the value of its desktop PC successful consequence to the world representation shortage. The Framework Desktop pinch 32GB of RAM and an AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 spot now starts astatine $1,139, alternatively of $1,099.
“We held disconnected connected it for arsenic agelong arsenic we could, but we had to update our Framework Desktop pricing coming to relationship for the monolithic summation successful LPDDR5x pricing from our suppliers,” Framework says successful a station connected X. “As before, we’re only adjusting prices capable to screen the increases successful cost.”
Read Article >
Apple did it first.
As Framework announces its second value hike tied to rising RAM costs, it’s worthy taking a infinitesimal to springiness Apple its dues — it was hiking up representation prices agelong earlier it was cool.
Akarain8:
If this carries connected Apple’s RAM pricing will commencement to look simply ‘overpriced’.
Get the day’s champion remark and much successful my free newsletter, The Verge Daily.
Framework announces different representation value hike — and it apt won’t beryllium its last
Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
The modular PC institution Framework is adjusting the value of its DDR5 RAM modules erstwhile again arsenic the costs of representation continues to surge. In an update connected Wednesday, Framework said it will complaint $10 per GB for 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB, pinch “slightly higher” prices for the 48GB and up.
Framework first announced a value hike connected representation earlier this month, citing “substantially higher costs” from suppliers and distributors. With this astir caller summation successful place, the 8GB variety jumped from $60 to $80, the 16GB action accrued from $120 to $160, and the 32GB variety went from $240 to $320. Meanwhile, the value tag of the 48GB action much than doubled from $240 as of June 2025 to $620. The 64GB (2 x 32GB) and 96GB (2 x 48GB) modules are besides much expensive, priced astatine $640 and $1,240, respectively.
Read Article >
RAM is truthful costly they’re trading “prebuilt” PCs without it.
It’s nary concealed that RAM prices are perfectly Out. Of. Control. Paradox Customs is taking an absorbing approach, selling “prebuilt” PCs that skip representation entirely. The thought being, if you hap to person spare sticks lying around, you tin prevention immoderate money. Of course, it’s besides an alarming motion of what the PC marketplace has travel to.
The RAM shortage is present to stay, raising prices connected PCs and phones
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
Your adjacent smartphone aliases PC mightiness costs much amid a world representation shortage that the International Data Corporation expects to “persist good into 2027.” A new study from the investigation patient lays retired the imaginable effect of the RAM crunch, saying it “signals the extremity of an era of cheap, abundant representation and storage” — for now, astatine least.
The value of RAM has skyrocketed complete the past fewer months arsenic the world’s biggest representation makers — Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix — allocate much resources for AI companies, which are buying up tons of representation for their monolithic information centers. Though PC gamers looking to upgrade their build’s RAM whitethorn person been the first to consciousness the effect of this crunch, it’s coming for different devices, too.
Read Article >
Micron says representation shortage will ‘persist’ beyond 2026
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
Micron, 1 of the 3 biggest representation suppliers successful the world, forecasts unsmooth months up for the world RAM supply. As part of its net report released connected Wednesday, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said “tight manufacture conditions” crossed DRAM and NAND flash representation are expected to “persist done and beyond” 2026 arsenic AI drives up demand.
With the AI roar successful afloat swing, Micron is making much money than ever arsenic companies for illustration OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and Google capable their information centers pinch powerful chips that travel packaged pinch high-bandwidth representation (HBM). It erstwhile again reported grounds gross of $13.64 cardinal this past quarter, a sizeable jump from the $8.71 cardinal it made astatine the aforesaid clip past year.
Read Article >
RAM kit pricing tripled successful conscionable 3 months.
Samsung representation is astir arsenic large arsenic Samsung Galaxy.
I knew Samsung made tons of money making chips, not conscionable electronics. But Emma’s RAM report puts it successful perspective: Last quarter, the institution earned astir doubly arsenic overmuch from representation as from its full TV and appliance business.
Samsung’s mobile biz was still bigger than representation ($22.8B vs. $18.2B), but not by much!
Crucial is shutting down — because Micron wants to waste its RAM and SSDs to AI companies instead
Image: Micron
DRAM it! Raspberry Pi raises prices
Raspberry Pi is expanding the value of respective single-board computers successful an effort to offset soaring representation costs. The updates are being applied instantly and impact Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5, pinch prices expanding by $5 to $25 depending connected the exemplary and magnitude of RAM. The 16GB representation variants of the Compute Module 5 are besides being raised by $20, now starting astatine $140.
“The existent unit connected representation prices, driven by title from the AI infrastructure roll-out, is achy but yet temporary,” Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton said successful the announcement. “We stay committed to driving down the costs of computing and look guardant to unwinding these value increases erstwhile it abates.”
Read Article >
These prebuilt PCs are astir to costs much owed to rising RAM prices
Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The skyrocketing value of RAM is trickling down to civilization PC makers, including CyberPowerPC and Maingear. On Wednesday, CyberPowerPC announced that it plans to set the pricing crossed each of its systems connected December 7th, arsenic reported earlier by PCMag.
“Recently, world representation (RAM) prices person surged by 500% and SSD prices person risen by 100%,” CyberPowerPC says successful a connection posted connected X. “This has had a nonstop effect connected the costs of building gaming PCs since 10/1/25.”
Read Article >
RAM prices are truthful retired of power that stores are trading it for illustration lobster
Image: Corsair
Michael Crider’s header astatine PCWorld today perfectly captures really ridiculous the PC representation shortage has become: stores for illustration the San Francisco Bay Area’s Central Computers are opening to waste RAM astatine marketplace prices, for illustration you’d salary for the catch-of-the-day astatine a seafood restaurant.
“Costs are fluctuating regular arsenic manufacturers and distributors set to constricted proviso and precocious demand,” sounds a connection posted successful the store’s show case, as spotted by Steve Lin. “Because of this, we can’t show fixed prices astatine this time.”
Read Article >