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As AI companies consume more and more RAM and memory, the ripple effect means companies across the tech world are or will be struggling to get RAM for their devices.
So far, it’s been expected that the shortage could last until 2028. That year was an interview with the CEOs of Micron and SK Hynix, the two largest RAM manufacturers.
“Three years ago, we broke ground on our ID1 facility in Idaho. The facility will be operational in mid-2027,” said Christopher Moore, vice president of marketing, mobile and client operations at Micron Technology. “But you won’t really see real output, meaningful output, when we complete all the qualifications and customers accept it, and you get the tools and everything is up and running until 2028.”
However, analyst and leaker Jukan Choi posted on X that he once agreed with 2028 but now believes that may be wrong.
He said the new data seemed to show that investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure was “expanding rapidly” and that DRAM production capacity would only grow at a low rate of “an annual growth rate of only 4.8%” through 2030.
Choi added: “What’s more, even this incremental capacity will be concentrated at HBM, which means that the supply of traditional and specialized DRAM will be even more constrained.”
“DRAM supply exceeding demand may become the new normal.”
For many companies, the impact may not be seen immediately until 2026. Many manufacturers, such as Dell and Asus, have been stockpiling memory to combat this problem, but those stocks will eventually run out.
Even Apple expects the RAM crisis to have a “bigger impact.” According to reports, Samsung’s internal mobile unit was unable to secure a favorable contract from Samsung’s RAM unit.
Companies are scrambling to find solutions. Acer EMEA marketing director Manuel Linning told Tom’s Guide that the company is looking for “multiple smaller suppliers” of RAM chips to bypass the three major suppliers.
The problem is that Samsung Electronics, SK Hynic and Micron currently control 95% of the market. That means Acer is looking to smaller Chinese memory suppliers like Changxin Memory and Yangtze Memory to help lower laptop prices.
