RAM prices in the global market are increasing rapidly and posing a risk of surpassing the price of a series of devices such as smartphones, laptops or gaming machines.
Experts say the underlying cause lies not in the consumer electronics market, but in the endless thirst of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry for high-speed memories.
In the AI ecosystem, GPUs play a central role. To train models and process huge amounts of data, GPUs need high-bandwidth memory (HBM) instead of standard RAM like DDR4 or DDR5.
This forces businesses to prioritize the production of HBMs, a product with superior profits over popular RAM.
Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron, giants in the memory industry, are all focusing on HBMs to keep up with the soaring demand from OpenAI, Google, Meta and global technology corporations.
This pressure spreads to the consumer market. Some reports show that Samsung has even rejected the request for RAM from its own mobile division to optimize profits for the semiconductor segment.
Micron, a brand famous for its RAM Crucial line, also announced the closure of its RAM product line for gamers to focus on corporate customers and the AI market.
This means that the general RAM market is narrowing sharply, causing prices to increase according to the law of supply and demand and affecting general users.
At the same time, AI data centers are expanding globally. Google and Adani Enterprises' cooperation to build India's largest data center complex in Visakhapatnam is a typical example.
Each such data center requires large amounts of GPUs and HBMs, continuing to push up demand and memory prices.
According to IDC International Data Group, the RAM shortage could have a strong impact on popular, price- sensitive Android devices.
IDC forecasts that smartphone shipments may decrease slightly in 2026 due to increased component costs. Many manufacturers have been forced to adjust their strategies or increase selling prices, or focus on models with higher profit margins to offset costs.
As memory becomes more expensive, price-increasing pressure is inevitable, said Anthony Scarsella, research director at IDC.
He said the market will see a clear differentiation as some companies accept price increases, while others change product structures to reduce the impact.
In the context of AI continuing to expand, the RAM price increase is predicted to not be able to cool down soon. Consumers may have to prepare for more spending if they want to upgrade their device in the near future.
