RAM shortage could stretch to 2030. Blame AI.

Your next phone, laptop, or VR headset will probably cost more. The AI industry is eating all the RAM.

Memory makers Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron will only meet about 60% of global DRAM demand by the end of 2027, according to Nikkei Asia. SK Group's chairman has warned the RAM shortage could stretch to 2030.

The reason is simple. These companies are throwing everything at high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the specialized RAM that AI data centers need. General-purpose DRAM, the stuff in your phone and laptop, keeps getting pushed aside. Counterpoint Research says production needs to grow 12% annually in 2026 and 2027 to keep up. The actual planned increase sits at 7.5%.

Building HBM is painfully slow. Yields on advanced HBM3e hover around 50 to 60% because manufacturers have to stack up to 16 memory dies vertically and bond them with microscopic precision. One defect in a lower layer ruins the whole stack. New fabrication plants are coming, but almost none will be operational before 2027 or 2028.

The price hikes are already here. Samsung raised prices on Galaxy phones and tablets. Meta bumped the Quest 3 up by $100 and pointed fingers at the memory crunch. Gaming handheld maker AYN raised prices too.

Don't expect relief anytime soon. The fabs coming online in the next couple years will prioritize AI data centers paying premium dollars, not the consumer gadgets that could actually use the supply.