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AI Memory Demand Drives DRAM Prices Up, Squeezing PCs and Phones

July 6, 2026 at 07:26 EDT

Infra & Chips

Surging demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI data centers is squeezing the supply of standard memory chips, pushing up prices and cutting shipments of consumer devices such as PCs, smartphones and TVs. As memory makers Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron shift production toward higher-margin AI-oriented HBM, general-purpose DRAM (RAM) has fallen short, and prices have spiked in the market.

June 2026 · AI Memory Crunch

The AI Boom Just Ate Your RAM

Samsung, SK hynix and Micron have redirected memory production toward high-margin AI parts — sending standard DRAM and NAND prices up roughly 660% in a year and squeezing supply for phones, PCs and consoles into 2027 and beyond.

~660%

DRAM & NAND price rise in one year to June 2026

+90%

DRAM price jump in Q1 2026 alone

~70%

Yearly growth in HBM demand from AI

95%+

Of global DRAM output from just three makers

Standard DRAM price, one year

The same memory that cost 1× a year ago now costs roughly 7.6× — a ~660% jump.

1×

1 year ago

~7.6×

June 2026

Why consumer memory is starving

AI demand explodes

HBM demand grows ~70% a year for GPUs and accelerators.

→

Capacity shifts to HBM

Margins 3–5× higher — HBM now 23–25% of DRAM wafers.

→

Consumer supply squeezed

Prices rise, shipments delayed for phones, PCs, consoles.

The knock-on effects

Hyperscalers outbid device makers; 2026 memory capacity nearly sold out, with meaningful new volume not expected until mid-2027.
Analysts warn of price hikes of hundreds of dollars for iPhone, Mac and Xbox; RAM is now the priciest smartphone component.
The three makers face a June 2026 California antitrust suit alleging a deliberately engineered DRAM shortage.

Supply response

SK hynix aims to double wafer capacity within five years, investing ~$15B in advanced memory this year. Both it and Samsung plan $20B+ annual investment; Micron has pre-sold ~70% of AI output.

The catch

New fabs take years and vast capital, so supply stays inelastic and shortages may persist into 2027 and beyond. Stocks wobbled in early July — Micron −15.5%, Sandisk −23.3%.

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