Krux
March 10, 2026
DRAM Prices Jump 700% as AI Eats the Chip Market
Published: March 10, 2026 at 12:31 AM
Updated: March 10, 2026 at 12:31 AM
100-word summary
Memory chips are now scarcer than GPUs. DRAM spot prices have surged 700% year over year, according to Bloomberg's supply-chain analysis, as AI data centers gobble up half the world's memory supply. The shortage is structural, not cyclical: AI companies plan to spend $650 billion on chips in 2026 alone, up 80% from last year. Relief won't arrive before 2027. Consumers are already paying the price. HP says memory now represents 35% of the cost to build a laptop, up from just 15% last quarter. Your next phone upgrade just got more expensive because someone else is training a chatbot.
What happened
Memory chips are now scarcer than GPUs. DRAM spot prices have surged 700% year over year, according to Bloomberg's supply-chain analysis, as AI data centers gobble up half the world's memory supply. The shortage is structural, not cyclical: AI companies plan to spend $650 billion on chips in 2026 alone, up 80% from last year. Relief won't arrive before 2027. Consumers are already paying the price. HP says memory now represents 35% of the cost to build a laptop, up from just 15% last quarter.
Why it matters
Your next phone upgrade just got more expensive because someone else is training a chatbot.