Global RAM manufacturers are expected to meet only 60% of demand by end of 2027, with shortages potentially lasting until 2030, as chipmakers prioritize high-bandwidth memory for AI data centers over consumer electronics. Price increases are already affecting phones, laptops, VR headsets, and gaming devices.
# The RAM shortage could last years
Source: [https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/914672/the-ram-shortage-could-last-years](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/914672/the-ram-shortage-could-last-years)
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Memory makers are only expected to meet 60 percent of demand by the end of 2027\.
Memory makers are only expected to meet 60 percent of demand by the end of 2027\.
by
Apr 18, 2026, 9:08 PM UTC
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
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Terrence O'Brien
is the Verge’s weekend editor\. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget\.
According to[*Nikkei Asia*](https://asia.nikkei.com/business/tech/semiconductors/memory-shortage-set-to-run-until-2027-as-chipmakers-focus-on-ai), even as suppliers ramp up DRAM production, manufacturers are only expected to meet 60 percent of demand by the end of 2027\. SK Group chairman has even said that shortages could last until[2030](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-koreas-sk-group-chairman-expects-chip-wafer-shortage-last-until-2030-eyes-2026-03-16/)\.
The world’s largest memory makers — Samsung, SK Hynix, and[Micron](https://www.theverge.com/news/847344/micron-ram-memory-shortage-2026-earnings)— are all working to add new fabrication capacity, but almost none of it will be online until at least 2027, if not 2028\. SK opened a fab in Cheongju in February, but that is the only increase in production among the three for 2026\.
*Nikkei*says that production would need to increase by 12 percent a year in 2026 and 2027 to meet demand\. But according to[*Counterpoint Research*](https://counterpointresearch.com/en/insights/the-global-memory-shortage-will-cost-us-all), an increase of only 7\.5 percent is planned\.
The new facilities will primarily focus on producing high\-bandwidth memory \(HBM\), which is used in AI data centers\. With the companies already prioritizing HBM over general\-purpose DRAM used in computers and phones, it’s not clear how much these new fabs will help alleviate the price crunch facing consumer electronics\. Everything from[phones](https://www.theverge.com/tech/911623/samsung-galaxy-phones-tablets-price-hike-ram)and[laptops](https://www.theverge.com/tech/911322/microsoft-surface-price-increase-ram)to[VR headsets](https://www.theverge.com/tech/912921/meta-quest-3-3s-vr-price-hike-ram-memory-shortage)and[gaming handhelds](https://www.theverge.com/games/914048/ayns-dual-screen-gaming-handheld-is-getting-a-price-increase-due-to-the-memory-crisis)have seen price increases due to the RAM shortage\.
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- Terrence O'Brien
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