According to Samsung, the global RAM shortage that is driving up PC and laptop prices will persist through 2027 and possibly into 2028.
Everything keeps getting more expensive due to the ongoing AI-driven memory shortage crisis. It’s why laptops, PCs, flash drives, SSDs, routers, and smartphones are all spiking in price.
And it doesn’t look like the situation will be any better next year. Kim Jaejune, Executive Vice President of Samsung’s memory chip division, recently explained at an analyst conference that the shortage is expected to continue all the way through 2026 and well into 2027 — in fact, the supply difficulties are even predicted to persist until 2028.
The increased demand — driven largely by the rush to build more AI data centers that need vast amounts of RAM and GPUs — has largely gone unmet this year. Current orders are being carried over into next year, which is likely to exacerbate an already difficult situation. As a result, prices could climb even higher, or at best remain at a similarly high level.
Why RAM is so scarce right now
Large companies enter into multi-year contracts with memory producers. Only when these agreements expire can enough capacity open up for new orders. The growing interest in AI data centers — which consume RAM even faster than the water they need to stay cool and operational — has exploded worldwide demand for memory. In response, memory producers have shifted their sales from consumer to enterprise markets, where higher margins are possible.
Meanwhile, the construction of new semiconductor manufacturing facilities (i.e., more RAM output) is progressing too slowly and will take several years before they can begin supplying new stock. Other memory makers, including SK Hynix, ADATA, and Micron, have confirmed that the situation will worsen in 2027 before it eases again.
From bad to worse, smaller producers might give way under the intense pressures of the new market conditions. RAM production is not only time-consuming but also costly and requires careful planning. New producers have little chance to establish themselves in this sector before they’re up against the big names.
Source: PCWorld
