A Nikkei Asia report warns of a RAM memory supply crisis spanning years. The three major manufacturers, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, estimate they will only be able to meet 60% of the projected global demand by 2027. The chairman of SK Group went further, suggesting this structural deficit could persist until the start of the next decade.
Bottlenecks in the transition to advanced nodes and HBM 📈
The root of the problem is not just fab capacity, but technical complexity. The industry is in the midst of a transition to finer manufacturing processes, such as 1-beta nanometers, which require extremely expensive and complex equipment. Simultaneously, a significant portion of production is allocated to high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI, which has a slower assembly process and consumes line capacity that previously produced conventional DRAM.
Plan your next PC build for retirement 💾
This redefines the concept of long-term investment. Buying two RAM modules today could be more profitable than a pension plan. Forum members who used to upgrade every two years might need to think about bequeathing their setup to their heirs. It seems the phrase memory is scarce will cease to be a Windows excuse and become the industry's motto for the rest of the decade.