The ongoing global RAM shortage is set to continue for at least another year, as major memory manufacturers Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron have reportedly sold all of their available manufacturing capacity through 2027 to artificial intelligence companies. This pre-booking of future production by AI firms means that consumers are unlikely to see any relief in RAM prices or availability in the near future.

According to a report from Digitimes, which was observed by TweakTown, the entire planned output for both DRAM and High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) for 2027 has been accounted for. While the memory manufacturers have not yet officially confirmed these sales, the implications for the consumer market are significant. The sale of future production capacity typically leads to increased costs for remaining available inventory, a trend already impacting PC component prices.

This situation is exacerbated by the nature of the purchasing agreements, which are often long-term contracts extending up to five years. This effectively locks in memory that has not yet been produced, leaving little room for increased supply to the broader market unless new manufacturing capacity is brought online. Consequently, RAM is expected to remain both expensive and scarce.

The demand pressure extends beyond just RAM, with NAND storage also experiencing growing demand. Although NAND capacity has not been fully absorbed due to a larger number of suppliers compared to DRAM, the cost of Solid State Drives (SSDs) has been on a steady upward trajectory over the past six months. For example, a Western Digital SN7100 PCIe 4 SSD, which cost approximately $110 for 1TB in January, has risen to $189, a 52% increase. Should NAND manufacturing capacity become as constrained as RAM, further price hikes for SSDs are anticipated.

The effects of this memory crunch are already visible in other hardware sectors. This month saw a price increase for the Xbox Series X, and a previous price hike for the Steam Machine was attributed to the rising cost of memory components. The current market conditions suggest that consumers seeking affordable RAM or other memory-dependent hardware may face continued challenges unless the demand from the AI sector stabilizes.