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Read original →RAM Shortage: Why Prices Are Breaking Records
RAM prices have surged 4.6-fold in six months due to a DRAM shortage. The causes of the crisis, its impact on graphics card and smartphone markets, and expert forecasts through 2028.
AI summary
In 2025, the RAM market faced an acute shortage, which led to a 4.6-fold price increase over six months. The main reason is manufacturers' reorientation toward producing server memory for AI centers at the expense of the mass-market segment. The shortage has affected the entire industry, from smartphones to graphics cards, and may persist until 2028.
The Role of RAM in the 21st Century
Random access memory (DRAM, RAM) is a critical component in virtually every modern device—from smartphones and laptops to servers and data centers. It handles temporary storage of data that the processor works with directly. System performance, application response times, and operational stability all depend on memory capacity and speed.
In 2025, the market faced a serious shortage that triggered a sharp price surge: RAM is being snapped up instantly, and manufacturers physically can't scale up supply fast enough. As a result, mainstream DDR4 and DDR5 modules for PCs and laptops have increased several-fold in just six months, while LPDDR memory for smartphones has also risen significantly in cost.
Why Prices Are Rising: An Industry Insider's View
The reasons behind the current situation were explained to Argument Media by Petr Gorbey, director of the computer peripherals department at Marvel-Distributsia.
According to him, in March 2025 the average global market price for 8GB DDR4 stood at around $1.35. By April it had climbed 22%, and by August it was up 50% month-over-month. Over the six-month period from March to October, prices increased 4.6-fold to reach $6.30—the highest level since January 2019.
The main factor, Gorbey emphasizes, has been the contraction in DRAM supply: major manufacturers have redirected their capacity away from consumer products toward server memory for AI data centers. Additional pressure came from import tariffs on DRAM components from South Korea, imposed in the second half of 2025 by U.S. President Donald Trump.
"The shortage is affecting all DRAM manufacturers right now—both market leaders and second-tier companies. To cope with the scarcity, distributors are spreading orders across different suppliers and placing long-term advance orders with manufacturers, trying to lock in volumes and prices," the expert explains.