Memory Price Surge May Last Until 2028 as Global Chip Demand Soars and Memory Shortages Intensify

The global memory chip shortage that began in 2024 is expected to persist well into 2028, with industry analysts warning that the cycle of rising prices for DRAM and NAND flash could last longer than previous downturns due to sustained demand from artificial intelligence infrastructure.

According to The Verge, reporting updated April 20, 2026, the world’s largest memory manufacturers — Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology — are continuing to prioritize high-margin contracts with AI companies over consumer-focused products, exacerbating scarcity in the PC, smartphone, and gaming console markets.

This shift has led to widespread price increases across consumer technology, with companies such as Raspberry Pi and Framework already raising product prices, while Dell, Asus, Acer, Xiaomi, and Nothing have warned of imminent cost increases for their devices.

Tom’s Hardware noted that nearly every major analyst firm and memory maker is now warning of looming NAND and DRAM shortages that could send SSD and memory prices skyrocketing over the coming years, with some predicting a shortage lasting up to a decade.

The structural reallocation of manufacturing capacity toward High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) for AI accelerators and data center GPUs has created a persistent imbalance, as demand from generative AI services continues to outpace supply in legacy memory segments.

average retail prices for DDR5-5200 16GB x 2 RAM kits have increased by 200–400% between July 2024 and December 2025, according to data tracked during the ongoing shortage.

OpenAI alone consumes approximately 40% of the global DRAM supply, further constraining availability for other sectors and contributing to 15–20% cost increases for PC original equipment manufacturers.

International Data Corporation analysts have projected that the memory shortage could “persist well into 2027,” with some market observers suggesting that relief may not arrive until the end of 2028 at the earliest.

The current crisis differs from the 2020–2023 global chip shortage, which was driven by pandemic-related disruptions, as today’s shortage stems from a deliberate strategic shift by manufacturers toward AI-related memory products, creating long-term scarcity in consumer and enterprise markets.