AMD is reportedly planning a 10% increase in the prices it charges its partners for graphics cards, a move that follows similar price hikes from competitor Nvidia. This development is attributed to the persistent global memory shortage, often referred to as "RAMnarök," which continues to impact the cost of memory-dependent hardware.
According to a report citing anonymous sources within AMD's supply chain, the company has opted to implement its price adjustments after Nvidia initiated its own GPU price increases of up to 30%. The report, shared by industry observer Harukaze5719, suggests that AMD's decision was timed to coincide with Nvidia's move. While the ultimate impact on consumer prices will depend on whether manufacturers absorb some of the cost increases, the trend indicates that graphics cards are likely to become more expensive.
This situation is driven by AI datacenters, which are consuming a significant portion of the world's memory chips. Major manufacturers such as Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are currently facing a lawsuit that accuses them of exacerbating the crisis through alleged price and supply fixing.
Adding to concerns within the graphics card market, leaks reported by Digital Foundry suggest the potential release of AMD Radeon RX 9050 cards with only 4GB of VRAM. Digital Foundry noted that graphics cards with 8GB or 10GB of memory have already been criticized for insufficient VRAM in modern games, making the prospect of even lower VRAM in a budget-class card, potentially aimed at 1080p resolutions or below, a worrying development for consumers.