RAM shortage won't ease until 2027 as AI demand outpaces production capacity by 40%

The RAM demand won't resolve in 2026, and 2027 doesn't look great either, claims report

* RAM and storage prices are skyrocketing; don't expect relief anytime soon. * Nikkei reports RAM shortage may not clear until 2027 or later. * Samsung's Pyeongtaek lines won't ease supply until 2027-2028; AI demand keeps pressure. Things look pretty dire in the world of PC hardware. RAM and storage prices have been skyrocketing, and any real chance of either of them coming down requires either more manufacturing lines to get set up or for the AI hype to die down, both of which will likely take years to manifest, if they ever do. Well, one report has given us a peek at what we could be looking at in the future. As it turns out, 2026 doesn't seem like the year we'll see prices go down...but 2027 isn't looking too hot, either. Samsung is reportedly doubling its DDR5 RAM prices as it runs out of stock Shocking, but not surprising Posts 2 By Simon Batt RAM prices may not come down for another year, at least I'm not shocked by the news, to be honest In a report by Nikkei Asia, the publication claims that the RAM shortage may not fully clear up until 2027 at the earliest. Given how the AI industry is showing zero signs of slowing down any time soon, the best bet we have to see relief in RAM prices is with the production lines. If RAM companies can flood the market with more sticks, there will be far more for consumers to purchase, reducing demand. Unfortunately, even the big leagues cannot magically whip up a new factory overnight. As Nikkei Asia claims: Samsung Electronics, the world's leading memory chip maker, plans to bring the fourth fabrication plant at its Pyeongtaek campus in South Korea online in 2026. But full-scale mass production will not begin until 2027 or later. The facility also will make logic chips for computing, limiting its capacity to increase production of memory. Nikkei Asia also reports that Samsung is creating a fifth production line in Pyeongtaek. This one will specifically produce RAM designed to handle AI tasks, which should alleviate the strain on the PC market for hardware. The bad news is, this one will take even longer to come online, with Nikkei Asia claiming it won't arrive "until 2028 or later." If there's any good news to take from this, it's that memory companies are taking steps to help bring RAM supply in line with demand. It's just that it's going to take a while for that to happen. Memory suppliers are playing favorites with RAM, and only 4 PC makers are getting priority This strategy is squeezing smaller PC makers in a big way, says a recent report. Posts 3 By Patrick O'Rourke

Memory Makers Will Only Meet 60% of DRAM Demand Through 2027, Locking In Years of Shortages and Price Pain

Memory shortages are expected to last several years, with no sign of stabilization anytime soon, as DRAM makers fail to meet demand. Memory supply constraints continue to grip the industry as the rise of Agentic AI has led to severe shortages. The demand is so massive that it will take years before we see any hint of relief. The latest report from Nikkei Asia seems to agree with this matter. It is stated that DRAM manufacturers are expected to meet only 60% percent of global demand by the end of 2027. As datacenters continue to pop and gobble precious DRAM, we will continue to see higher prices, and little to no memory available in the retail channel. A shortage of memory chips appears likely to continue until around 2027, with the top U.S. and South Korean suppliers raising DRAM production at a pace that will meet only about 60% of demand. via Nikkei Asia To address this matter, major DRAM manufacturers such as Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron, and China-based YMTC are bringing up extra production lines and starting rapid construction of new facilities to meet the demand, but these factories won't be ready anytime soon. Just yesterday, we saw that YMTC and CXMT were working on three new fabs, one going live already, and two planned to go live later this year, which will double their total output. But despite all of this, AI factories are pre-booking entire year's worth of supply, leading to severe shortages in the smartphone and PC segments. And the majority of the new production lines will be focused on AI-specific DRAM such as HBM. Samsung and Co. have already dropped production of legacy DRAM such as DDR3, DDR4, and LPDDR4, further straining the market. Several companies have discontinued their OEM / PC-specific brands, Micron's Crucial is one example, and moved to more profitable pastures such as HBM and SOCAMM2. Chinese manufacturers have stepped into play to fill this gap. As per Nikkei's report, DRAM manufacturers will have to increase their annual production by 12% between 2026 and 2027 to address this growing demand, but Counterpoint states that at the current rate, the production is only increasing by a measly 7.5%. Counterpoint also shared its stats on how bad it is for PC vendors going forward, with memory prices continuing to climb. Remember that we had already pointed out in a previous report that memory prices won't be back to normal till at least the end of 2028, and that is looking to be the case every passing day.