US EditionThe AI frenzy is driving a memory chip supply crisis
Memory chip prices have more than doubled since February amid supply shortages fueled by AI demand, threatening delays in data centers and consumer electronics production.
- Major tech buyers including Microsoft, Google and ByteDance are scrambling for supplies amid an acute global shortage forcing artificial intelligence and consumer-electronics firms to compete for nearly every memory type.
- Memory makers redirected capacity to higher-margin AI-focused chips as post-ChatGPT demand surged, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix shifting to HBM amid competition from ChangXin Memory Technologies and long fab lead times.
- Market data show prices have surged, with 32GB DDR5 over 47,000 yen and 128GB kits around 180,000 yen, while inventories fell to two to four weeks and retailers capped sales in Akihabara.
- Industry executives warn the shortage will delay AI projects and infrastructure builds, Chinese smartphone makers including Xiaomi and Realme may raise prices by 20% to 30%, and economists caution of inflationary risks beyond tech.
- Consultancy Counterpoint Research expects prices to rise 30% through the fourth quarter and another 20% in early 2026, while SK Hynix said its chips are sold out for 2026 and Samsung secured HBM customers for next year.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Global AI Boom Triggers New Memory-Chip Supply Chain Crisis
A worldwide shortage of memory chips is intensifying as artificial intelligence expansion collides with constrained semiconductor production. From Japan to China to Silicon Valley, both AI giants and consumer-electronics makers are scrambling to secure dwindling supplies of DRAM, flash memory, and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Prices have doubled across several product segments since February, according to […] The post Global AI Boom Triggers New…
The AI frenzy is driving a memory chip supply crisis
An acute global shortage of memory chips is forcing artificial intelligence and consumer-electronics companies to fight for dwindling supplies, as prices soar for the unglamorous but essential components that allow devices to store data.
Rampant AI demand throws the memory chip market into turmoil
Since October, SK Hynix’s headquarters in Icheon, near Seoul, has seen a steady stream of visitors from PC makers and electronics suppliers arriving for urgent meetings with the South Korean memory chipmaker’s executives. Their top concern: a looming shortage of memory chips that could start to disrupt product launches as soon as next year. “We are receiving requests for memory semiconductor supplies from many companies, and we are deeply concer…
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