AI Boom Drives Record High RAM Prices, Relief Not Expected Until Late 2020s

Consumer RAM prices have rocketed in the last year and a half, with a 16 GB DDR5-4800 kit climbing from under $100 to more than $400 and high-end 32 GB DDR5-6000 modules exceeding $1,200. The surge is traced to AI firms, flush with investment, purchasing the bulk of the world’s memory supply for massive data-center builds, including projects like xAI’s Memphis "Colossus" site and OpenAI’s AMD-backed AI centers. The three major memory makers—Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron—cannot rapidly add capacity; new factories cost billions and require years, and HBM chips consume roughly three times the wafer area of standard DDR5.

SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung and Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra both project continued shortages through 2027 and possibly to 2030. While HBM yields higher margins, it diverts silicon away from consumer DRAM, and companies such as Micron have even exited the consumer Crucial line to focus on higher-profit segments. Analysts advise against panic buying unless essential, as the market may not ease until the late 2020s.