Question Is the cost of RAM going up everywhere?

[DZero]

How do these AI farms expect us to use there AI if we can't build computers or afford to buy phones / tablets / laptops if they cause RAM to be so expensive?

Not only RAM, but also storage, periphericals, etc.

The reason is... that the government, even more precise, the US government is investing ALL the parts in their army with AI.

So yeah, the AI rush is more made by the US government to be superior from the rest.

 

[dlerious]

Steve at GN went off on Micron

 

[iCyborg]

Yep, that's me, I just bought 64Gb for $700 (Cdn$), almost everything else available is 900+, even 32GB is rarely <500.

The situation is really comical.
I saw that 64GB kit for $634 on Monday, but I couldn't go until Wednesday, the store is ~20km away, and no online availability.
By Wed it already increased to $685, I figured I'll still take it. It was sold out but they had RGB version for $700, last kit, and the one I took.

I checked today (Friday), non-RGB version is $685 -> $913, with some availability.
The one I bought is $700 -> $935, but only available in Alberta and Manitoba.
Literally every few days prices go up, and often not by little.

 

[DZero]

Meanwhile in China...
DDR4 went like crazy... normal price by June... 32 GB for USD 36.84


Prices right now.. 16 GB for USD 84!!!

EDIT: The original item... cost over USD 220!!!!

 

[manly]

Not only RAM, but also storage, periphericals, etc.

The reason is... that the government, even more precise, the US government is investing ALL the parts in their army with AI.

So yeah, the AI rush is more made by the US government to be superior from the rest.

Where in the world do you live?

This is not how the U.S. economy works, although sometimes policymakers do interfere with free markets (i.e. petroleum subsidies).

I got lucky I guess, snagged some low-end 32GB DDR4 just a week ago for cheap. Don't need it, but can always flip it in this crazy market.

 

[Golgatha]

Steve at GN went off on Micron

He is 100% right. All this data center hardware will be repurposed for cloud computing once the AI bubble bursts or we're done with this ridiculous all-in investment. Either way, both software and hardware will primarily be sold as a service. You'll own nothing and love it.

 

[DZero]

He is 100% right. All this data center hardware will be repurposed for cloud computing once the AI bubble bursts or we're done with this ridiculous all-in investment. Either way, both software and hardware will primarily be sold as a service. You'll own nothing and love it.

It won't work longer, the ISP won't allow that since it will be overkill for their networks.

Where in the world do you live?

This is not how the U.S. economy works, although sometimes policymakers do interfere with free markets (i.e. petroleum subsidies).

I got lucky I guess, snagged some low-end 32GB DDR4 just a week ago for cheap. Don't need it, but can always flip it in this crazy market.

Of course the US wasn't supposed to be that mad, but this time, went too far

 

[Golgatha]

It won't work longer, the ISP won't allow that since it will be overkill for their networks.

I fully expect our shit government to let the ISPs charge extra for fast-lane service. Also, taxpayers will be on the hook for putting fiber to the home all over the country, just like we're on the hook for water and power buildouts for all these datacenters.

 

[DZero]

I fully expect our shit government to let the ISPs charge extra for fast-lane service. Also, taxpayers will be on the hook for putting fiber to the home all over the country, just like we're on the hook for water and power buildouts for all these datacenters.

If that happens, cloud computing dream collapses, along with them... the Great Depression v2 might happen... if China and others decides to NOT to enter in that game, they might survive that.

 

[fastandfurious6]

this is probably by far the weirdest "event" in pc hardware market/pricing really


before that, GPUs were the weirdest but still within limits of reason i.e. too much crypto + AI + scalping and near-monopoly of CUDA/nvidia GPUs for a while, also Nvidia #1 market cap globally

even if bizarre it wasn't totally unexplainable


now this RAM hike coupled with all rumours that "all computing will become centralized/cloud" is basically extremely scary and points to coordination/conspiracy

or simply "controlled market manipulation"

who/what exact event triggered this insane rising RAM price hike?

 

[marees]

this is probably by far the weirdest "event" in pc hardware market/pricing really


before that, GPUs were the weirdest but still within limits of reason i.e. too much crypto + AI + scalping and near-monopoly of CUDA/nvidia GPUs for a while, also Nvidia #1 market cap globally

even if bizarre it wasn't totally unexplainable


now this RAM hike coupled with all rumours that "all computing will become centralized/cloud" is basically extremely scary and points to coordination/conspiracy

or simply "controlled market manipulation"

who/what exact event triggered this insane rising RAM price hike?

Apparently, OpenAI — backed by Microsoft — are in an arms race, with google

Samsung, SK Hynix join OpenAI’s $500 bn Stargate project with HBM supply pacts​

The creator of ChatGPT has requested volumes equivalent to as many as 900,000 wafers a month, twice the current global production capacity​

By Jeong-Soo Hwang and Chae-Yeon Kim
Published October 1, 2025 at 9:17 PM(KST)

The two South Korean chipmakers signed letters of intent on Wednesday with OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman to supply high-bandwidth memory (HBM) semiconductors for the US start-up’s so-called Stargate initiative, a program to construct a network of hyperscale AI data centers around the world by 2029.


The San Francisco-based company, the creator of generative AI ChatGPT, has requested volumes equivalent to as many as 900,000 wafers a month, more than twice the current global production capacity.

Analysts estimate the commitment amounts to more than 100 trillion won ($72 billion) of incremental demand for the Korean chipmakers over the next four years.


https://www.kedglobal.com/artificial-intelligence/newsView/ked202510010013

Via

OpenAI orders $71B in Korean memory chips​

CEO Altman orders $71 billion in HBM chips for Stargate project.
Robert Clark, Contributing Editor, Light Reading
October 2, 2025

https://www.lightreading.com/ai-machine-learning/openai-orders-71b-in-korean-memory-chips

h/t MLID

https://twitter.com/x/status/1993120496557474112

 

[fastandfurious6]

great post that should be pinned on the topic, or a new topic starting on that speculation focus broader than just memory

"HBM supply pact"... pact is an interesting word the same way you say "blood pact" or "illuminati" lol

basically the reason is:

sam altman's insanity + trump's approval

world domination

 

[DAPUNISHER]

LMAO

 

[Golgatha]

this is probably by far the weirdest "event" in pc hardware market/pricing really


before that, GPUs were the weirdest but still within limits of reason i.e. too much crypto + AI + scalping and near-monopoly of CUDA/nvidia GPUs for a while, also Nvidia #1 market cap globally

even if bizarre it wasn't totally unexplainable


now this RAM hike coupled with all rumours that "all computing will become centralized/cloud" is basically extremely scary and points to coordination/conspiracy

or simply "controlled market manipulation"

who/what exact event triggered this insane rising RAM price hike?

Boil a couple of bad actor billionaires alive, and this whole thing stops.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Boil a couple of bad actor billionaires alive, and this whole thing stops.

Let's not threaten people or suggest murder as a solution. Thanks.

 

[Golgatha]

Let's not threaten people or suggest murder as a solution. Thanks.

I'm suggesting real actual consequences for bad actions that negatively effect the general population. Lifetime jailing would have an equal effect and not have the gory cleanup though, so how about that as a solution? Not that either one is going to happen since lawmakers are in their pockets.

 

[DrMrLordX]

I'm suggesting real actual consequences for bad actions that negatively effect the general population. Lifetime jailing would have an equal effect and not have the gory cleanup though, so how about that as a solution? Not that either one is going to happen since lawmakers are in their pockets.

At least you aren't suggesting illegal activity anymore, so that's a plus. Though we may as well threaten to jail producers for not producing what we want (to highlight the intrinsic absurdity of the suggestion at hand). I don't think anyone's ever been put in jail before for buying out RAM/NAND capacity, nor have they been imprisoned for failing to meet the needs of the market.

If you know someone with a few billion USD (or the equivalent) who are willing to go to Micron/Samsung/Hynix and prepay them for future capacity on 10y/10z/whatever processes they're using for RAM nowadays, by all means, tell them to take a risk and see if it pays off for them. What the RAM/NAND producers seem to be doing is calculating that the rapid rise in demand for HBM will be short-lived. They won't want to get stuck holding the bag when demand collapses, leaving them with excess capacity. Which is why they aren't building out new capacity to service both rising HBM demand along with sustained commercial demand for DRAM/NAND. They presumably learned from the crypto mining craze(s) and don't want to get hung out to dry by a rapid collapse in demand.

 

[bba-tcg]

We'll see. I just had a 32 GB kit of G.skill DDR4 go bad out of the blue and I initiated an RMA today... I sure hope they cover it with RAM because I'm now out of stash.

I received my replacement memory today, so G.Skill is still sending replacements. I looked up the selling price and was tempted to resell it, but I know as soon as I do, I would end up needing it somewhere.

 

[Golgatha]

At least you aren't suggesting illegal activity anymore, so that's a plus. Though we may as well threaten to jail producers for not producing what we want (to highlight the intrinsic absurdity of the suggestion at hand). I don't think anyone's ever been put in jail before for buying out RAM/NAND capacity, nor have they been imprisoned for failing to meet the needs of the market.

If you know someone with a few billion USD (or the equivalent) who are willing to go to Micron/Samsung/Hynix and prepay them for future capacity on 10y/10z/whatever processes they're using for RAM nowadays, by all means, tell them to take a risk and see if it pays off for them. What the RAM/NAND producers seem to be doing is calculating that the rapid rise in demand for HBM will be short-lived. They won't want to get stuck holding the bag when demand collapses, leaving them with excess capacity. Which is why they aren't building out new capacity to service both rising HBM demand along with sustained commercial demand for DRAM/NAND. They presumably learned from the crypto mining craze(s) and don't want to get hung out to dry by a rapid collapse in demand.

Jail them for collusion. Multiple examples from the past and likely happening now. Jail executive leadership of Micron for taking taxpayer dollars from the CHIPS Act, putting it into fabs and datacenters, promising to expand fabs in the US, and then withdrawing from the consumer (a.k.a. the source of the taxpayer dollars) market and not doing a damn thing they promised to do. Also, I never suggested anything illegal. Boiling has been on the books in the past as a punishment for bad actors against the state, and damnit, we can bring it back.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I received my replacement memory today, so G.Skill is still sending replacements. I looked up the selling price and was tempted to resell it, but I know as soon as I do, I would end up needing it somewhere.

That is excellent news.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Jail them for collusion. Multiple examples from the past and likely happening now.

So who exactly is going to be doing this jailing, and why? Yes JEDEC members have colluded on price before, but that doesn't appear to be what's happening now (per se). They're turning all their production lines towards HBM which is starving the market of commodity DRAM. If someone's offering them a ton of money to do this (e.g. more than the entire DRAM buyer's market can offer them to continue producing DRAM) then that in-and-of-itself does not amount to collusion.

 

[aigomorla]

Does that mean i have some hope of getting an RMA if my Gskill Zeta R5's ever die because of EXPO.
*knocking on petrified tree for extra luck that it doesn't ever die*

I had to turn off EXPO on all my machines today which used DDR5, in hopes they will carry me though DDR6 and when the AI bubble pops hard.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I had to turn off EXPO on all my machines today

I don't even notice the difference on mine while gaming. I always use a frame cap. Thought I was the only one doing this. Good to read others are being extra cautious too.

 

[In2Photos]

My wife called me Tuesday morning. Her computer at work (small company) started crashing and giving her a memory management error. I had her run the Windows Memory Diagnostic and it immediately threw an error message. I started looking around locally for some RAM, 8GB of DDR4 2666 was in her PC. Microcenter listed only 2 16GB kits, both 3200MHz in stock and for $95-$100. They also had some 32GB kits for about twice that. Best Buy only had 3-32GB kits for over $200 each. And all of the kits were ones with heat spreaders, no cheapos. I was honestly surprised that either store had any in stock at all. Amazon had some as well, but none that would arrive same day.

But we had one other option, another PC in the office that was no longer in use had 2-4GB 2400 sticks. Talked my wife through how to open up each machine, remove the RAM from the one PC and install it in the new one. She got it done and the PC ran all day without any crashing or errors. Guess it pays to hoard PC parts sometimes!

 

[In2Photos]

Does that mean i have some hope of getting an RMA if my Gskill Zeta R5's ever die because of EXPO.
*knocking on petrified tree for extra luck that it doesn't ever die*

I had to turn off EXPO on all my machines today which used DDR5, in hopes they will carry me though DDR6 and when the AI bubble pops hard.

Wait, so is that what everyone is doing, turning off EXPO to extend potential life of their kits?