DRAM reminiscence scarcity threatens international shopper tech disaster

AI’s insatiable thirst for reminiscence is creating a world drought, as costs skyrocket and shopper tech giants put new devices on maintain amid the DRAM reminiscence scarcity.

DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) is a elementary element of any trendy machine that depends on high-speed knowledge processing. Increasing a tool’s quantity of DRAM is among the simplest methods to enhance its efficiency.

As a consequence, DRAM is a elementary element of shopper tech, from computer systems, smartphones and tablets to set-top bins, video games consoles and wi-fi routers. Further afield, sensible gadgets from televisions and fridges to electrical autos all depend on DRAM.

What is inflicting the DRAM reminiscence scarcity?

Tech giants like Alphabet and OpenAI are shopping for up a lot of the world’s reminiscence manufacturing to energy their AI knowledge centres, leaving different tech producers scrambling over dwindling provides amid the DRAM reminiscence scarcity.

AI knowledge centres depend on extremely highly effective GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), which demand huge quantities of DRAM for parallel processing. For instance, Nvidia’s newest Blackwell GPU options 192 GB of RAM, whereas an AI server that includes 72 Blackwell chips calls for 13.4 terabytes of RAM.

AI’s demand for High Bandwidth Memory has additionally seen DRAM makers like Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron dedicate the majority of their manufacturing capability to producing profitable high-performance DRAM.

As a consequence, they’re producing far much less general-purpose DRAM required by fundamental gadgets like smartphones. Micron is totally scrapping its well-known Crucial DRAM and Solid State Drive (SSD) vary, abandoning the patron market in 2026 to concentrate on AI.

The scenario is exacerbated by the flow-on results of the pandemic, the place booming demand was adopted by a bust, which noticed little funding in new manufacturing capability in 2024 and thru most of 2025.

The knock-on results of RAMmageddon for machine producers and finish customers may persist properly into 2027, according to IDC. Particularly when costs are hovering and provides are dwindling, earlier than AI giants actually hit their stride with their knowledge centre development plans. 

An AI knowledge centre’s unquenchable thirst for sources extends past DRAM, additionally creating Solid State Drive provide shortages. Additionally, these knowledge centres require huge quantities of electrical energy and water for powering and cooling servers.

As a consequence, there’s a international push for AI knowledge centres to construct their very own vitality capability, ideally primarily based on renewables, reasonably than place a rising pressure on the present electrical energy grid.

Which devices are impacted by the scarcity?

For starters, the DRAM reminiscence scarcity is having a major affect on the worth and availability of important PC elements like DDR5 reminiscence, SSDs and graphics playing cards.

For instance, within the six months since August 2025, the Australian promote value of 32 GB Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 DRM has nearly quadrupled from $200 to $750, according to PGrid. It’s an analogous story with the 32 GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo DDR5-6000, hovering from $199 to $799, having hit a excessive of $999 in January.

Meanwhile, the promote value of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card has leapt from $3,899 to $5,599. The 4 TB Samsung 990 Pro SSD has climbed from $515 to $779.

As AI gobbles up the world’s DRAM, Nvidia has paused growth of “Super” revisions of its GeForce RTX 50-series graphics playing cards, whereas pushing again the launch of its RTX 60-series

Console makers are additionally feeling the stress, with Sony reportedly contemplating delaying the PlayStation 6 till 2029. Meanwhile, Nintendo is contemplating elevating the worth of the Switch 2 to permit for the rising price of elements.

Further afield, the affect of the DRAM reminiscence scarcity has seen Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledge that it may minimize into income, whereas Tesla CEO Elon Musk is contemplating whether or not the tech big must construct its personal fabrication crops with a purpose to safe long-term provides of DRAM and different high-performance semiconductors for Tesla’s EV, AI and robotics initiatives.