AI Data Centers Are Making RAM Crushingly Expensive, Which Is Going to Skyrocket the Cost of Laptops, Tablets, and Gaming PCs

On the one hand, you're right. On the other hand OpenAI just signed a deal for around 25-30% of all RAM manufactured in 2026 all around the world.

Not even the finished boards, just the half-done wafers practically so others can't have any. Strategically timed and kept in secret to cause maximum market mayhem.

And nobody is keeping inventory because of the tariff chaos.

So it's not just that, but greed, for example Micron pivoting away from consumer RAM, adds to it.

The other RAM companies already sold literally all of their silicon wafer volume to OpenAI. Micron is the one taking advantage of the situation. That's why they aren't going to sell to consumers, there's otherwise zero RAM supply, and they can make significantly more money manufacturing HBM memory, instead of DDR.

So yes, AI data centers made RAM price skyrocket by buying 2/3s of the global RAM supply, Micron reacted (not caused) by deciding to maximize the profit from their remaining 1/3 of the global supply, and no, the other companies will not make RAM more expensive because there literally is no more RAM to sell.

You have cause and effect reversed here. Micron didn't change their business model on a whim.

On one hand this is perfect opportunity for Chinese ram industry to grow. Not sure if there's anyone else in that market sector to benefit.