What the DRAM Price Surge Means for Everyday Buyers
The DRAM price surge is a rapid, supply-driven jump in memory chip costs that is pushing up prices for PCs, laptops, smartphones, SSDs, and graphics cards across the consumer market. In the second quarter, consumer-focused DRAM prices climbed between 50% and 89% compared with the previous quarter, signalling how tight supply has become. SigmaIntel data shows a 16 Gb (2GB) DRAM module rising from USD 19.2 (approx. RM90) to USD 28.5 (approx. RM133), a 49% jump in just one quarter. A 16 GB DDR4 stick moved from USD 137 (approx. RM638) to USD 207.1 (approx. RM965), a 51% increase on top of already inflated Q1 prices. LPDDR5X parts for phones and thin laptops saw the steepest move, with 96 Gb (12 GB) modules leaping from USD 77.1 (approx. RM362) to USD 145.9 (approx. RM685), an 89% spike that will feed directly into higher device prices.
AI Data Centers Are Hoarding DRAM and DDR5
Behind the DDR5 memory shortage and wider DRAM price surge is a structural shift in demand: AI servers are soaking up supply that once went to consumer products. Memory makers are focusing on high-margin AI and data center customers, leaving general-purpose DRAM like DDR4, DDR5, and LPDDR starved. SigmaIntel notes that shortages began in the second half of 2025 and have not eased, with DDR4 and LPDDR bearing the brunt. At the same time, SSD and NAND flash prices are racing higher, as AI servers also require large pools of high-speed storage. A 512 GB NVMe Gen4 SSD is now USD 126.3 (approx. RM589), up 54% versus the previous quarter, while 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage has climbed 103% to USD 62.7 (approx. RM292). With AI chip demand still accelerating, there is little spare capacity left for mainstream PCs, laptops, and phones.
How Rising Memory Costs Hit GPUs and PC Component Prices
The DRAM shock is cascading into broader PC component prices, with graphics cards among the earliest casualties. The so-called “RAMpocalypse” has already pushed RX 9000 and RTX 50 series GPUs to roughly 20% higher prices than before the shortages, according to market reports. Now AMD is reportedly planning another 10–15% price hike on its RX 9000 series in the third quarter, as VRAM costs climb further. NVIDIA board partners, by contrast, have not been told to raise prices yet, offering a brief window of stability. However, any GPU with large VRAM capacities is under particular pressure because it consumes the same scarce GDDR and DRAM needed for AI accelerators. With DRAM and SSD prices expected to stay high through 2026 and 2027, PC component prices are likely to remain elevated, especially for gaming systems and workstations that rely on high-capacity memory and storage.
Why Experts See No Relief Until 2028
Financial firm Jefferies warns that the DRAM price surge is far from over, as AI chip demand continues to strain supply. In a recent assessment, an expert cited by Jefferies said memory prices could rise 40–50% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter, followed by another 30–40% increase in the fourth quarter. They also project that in 2027, memory average selling prices could jump by 40–45% year-on-year, before any meaningful easing. The same expert expects 2028 to be the first year when memory prices might fall by 15–20%, as new capacity comes online and demand growth slows. Another report from Aletheia Capital points to a 30% jump in average DRAM selling prices in the third quarter and a further 10–15% in the fourth. Together, these forecasts suggest consumer DRAM, DDR5, and SSD buyers face at least two more years of persistent price pressure.
Can New DRAM Players Ease the Shortage?
The hot memory market has prompted new suppliers to try to join the global DRAM supply chain, including manufacturers that are expanding aggressively to capture demand for DDR and LPDDR. Some industry voices argue that these newcomers could add several million wafers per month of capacity by the second half of 2027, potentially easing the DDR5 memory shortage and cooling the DRAM price surge. However, the expert quoted by Jefferies cautions that this additional capacity is unlikely to have a major effect in 2026 or 2027 due to a technology gap and the time needed to qualify advanced DRAM for servers and AI accelerators. For consumers, this means that any relief is back-loaded: PC, laptop, and smartphone makers are already raising prices, and even as more suppliers enter the market, the full benefit may only arrive once demand growth finally slows closer to 2028.
