{
  "id": 17808447,
  "title": "Why the AI boom could keep memory prices high until 2030",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/why-the-ai-boom-could-keep-memory-prices-high-until-2030",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-11-02T13:56:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/computing/memory/is-sam-altman-going-to-break-into-my-house-and-steal-my-ram-no-but-the-ai-memory-crisis-could-be-about-to-get-a-whole-lot-worse"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has sparked controversy by suggesting that consumers don't require dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) as it is only used \"5% of the time.\" Altman advocates for prioritizing DRAM supplies for data centers to support cloud environments and fuel the growth of AI. While Altman's viewpoint may seem appealing to AI companies, it raises concerns for consumers seeking affordable memory prices.\n\nThe DRAM shortage stems from OpenAI's ambitious Stargate datacenter project in 2025, which required 40% of the global DRAM supply. This demand surge was exacerbated by memory producers entering a production downturn to stabilize prices. OpenAI cannot physically confiscate consumers' RAM, but the current memory scarcity poses several risks for the future. SK Hynix, a major memory manufacturer, warns that the supply shortage could persist until 2030, potentially preventing any return to affordable pricing in the near future.\n\nAs OpenAI and Anthropic prepare for public markets, uncertainty looms over how memory giants control 90% of the world's supply will adjust their production. Given the significant revenue difference between the consumer memory market and AI, a substantial shift in production could occur towards high-bandwidth memory needed for AI. This trend might be amplified by AI's impact on employment, with firms implementing hiring freezes as automation replaces repetitive tasks, potentially reducing demand for consumer memory.\n\nBeyond memory, the robotics industry is growing rapidly, with applications in various sectors such as manufacturing, hospitality, and logistics. AI-powered robots, capable of working continuously without rest and without labor laws, could replace human workers. Although robots require memory for their AI systems, the demand for consumer memory could decrease further, as businesses prioritize AI development over expanding memory production for the consumer market.",
  "summary": "Sam Altman might not physically steal your RAM, but AI isn't the only industry hungry for more memory.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}