RAMageddon Continues Another Year as 2027 Memory Capacity Is Reportedly Sold Out
A new report suggests that all three memory manufacturers — Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron — have collectively sold through their 2027 memory manufacturing capacity to AI companies.
The RAM crisis shows no sign of abating, with reports indicating that all three major memory manufacturers - Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron - have sold off their 2027 memory manufacturing capacity to AI companies. According to a Digitimes report, all DRAM and HBM capacity has been sold out for 2027, with no further supply planned, leading to a potential surge in retail prices for consumers.
The situation is exacerbated as most of these AI companies have secured long-term purchasing agreements, essentially pre-ordering memory that hasn't even been manufactured yet over a five-year term. This scarcity extends beyond RAM, with NAND storage demand also on the rise. Although NAND capacity is not completely absorbed due to multiple suppliers, the high demand for SSDs has led to a steady price increase over the past six months.
For instance, the Western Digital SN7100 drive, a standard PCIe 4 drive, saw its price rise by 52% from $110 to $189. The hardware industry seems to be heavily impacted by this crisis, with recent examples including the Xbox Series X and the Steam Machine experiencing price hikes due to increased memory costs. As the report's author, Jackie Thomas, hopes for an AI bubble burst to make RAM more affordable again.
Written by urgent.news from IGN's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
