The RAM memory crisis, dubbed RAMpocalypse or RAMaggeddonThe trend shows no signs of abating. What began as a 45% increase in the summer of 2025 has become a perfect storm, driving up the price of any electronic device. The main cause is the insatiable appetite of data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence, which are snapping up all available DRAM and HBM memory production.
Prices have skyrocketed. A 32GB DDR5 kit that cost around $90 in 2025 now exceeds $450, and high-end gaming modules are around $600. Even DDR4, considered a budget-friendly alternative, has quadrupled in price. The situation is so serious that historic brands like Crucial have disappeared from the consumer market., since its parent company Micron has redirected all of its capacity to AI servers.
The origin of the crisis: artificial intelligence as the trigger
The market is dominated by three giants: Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron, which control nearly 90% of global DRAM production. These companies have shifted their manufacturing towards high-performance HBM memoriesThese are needed for artificial intelligence servers, leaving the consumer market underserved. According to Jaejune Kim, executive vice president of Samsung, supply is unlikely to increase significantly until 2028, and supply constraints will worsen even further in 2027.
The consultancy TrendForce confirms this diagnosis: the DRAM adequacy ratio is around -1% or -2% during 2026, and the imbalance will widen the following year. Demand for AI servers is growing at a rate of over 17% year-on-yearThis shortage is driven by new platforms from Intel and AMD and the arrival of agentic AI in real-world production environments. Furthermore, the SOCAMM standard requires each server to have more memory per unit, exacerbating the problem.
Impact on the consumer: exorbitant prices and more expensive products
For the average consumer, building a PC from parts has become unfeasible. Pre-built computers and bundles of processor, motherboard and RAM have become the only reasonable optionAlthough their prices have also increased. In the console sector, Microsoft has already raised the price of the Xbox Series X by €200 in Europe, and Nintendo is preparing a similar increase for this fall. Sony, for its part, has warned that its upcoming PlayStation 6 could exceed $1.000 due to the rising cost of components.
Apple is not immune. The MacBook Air is suffering from a massive stock shortage, with shipping delays of up to a month, and the company has already It confirms that the price of its devices will rise due to the cost of memory. in 200 dollars. Even Samsung's mobile division has recorded its first-ever quarterly lossDespite record profits from its chip business thanks to AI, Samsung is struggling due to high memory costs. In Spain, where Samsung has a strong presence in the mid-range market, the Galaxy A models could disappear from the most affordable offers, and carriers are already adjusting their portfolios of subsidized devices.
Chinese manufacturers and future prospects
It was hoped that Chinese manufacturers like CXMT and YMTC would alleviate the crisis, but the reality is that they have also raised their prices. CXMT, the world's fourth largest producer, has prioritized multi-million dollar contracts with ByteDance and Tencent for AI serversLeaving aside clients like Huawei, which even plans to build its own DRAM plant. Meanwhile, the United States is closely monitoring these companies, and Apple has already negotiations to acquire memory chips from Chinese giant CXMT.
Looking ahead, the outlook is not optimistic. While NAND flash memory could experience a price correction in the second half of 2027, conventional DRAM will remain under pressure. Analysts at TrendForce and Samsung agree that supply will not balance until 2028 at the earliest.And some experts warn that prices will never return to pre-crisis levels. Artificial intelligence will continue to be the driving force behind market rules.
Thus, the RAM crisis has become a structural problem affecting the entire technology chain. From the price of a RAM kit to the cost of a console or a smartphone, everything is going up. The demand for artificial intelligence has shifted production towards servers, leaving consumers with fewer options and higher prices.While manufacturers expand their plants, stability will not arrive before 2028, and in the meantime, the new normal is paying more for less.