Unless you’ve been out of the loop, you’ll likely have seen that the price of RAM has been dominating the headlines over the past few months.
RAM prices have been skyrocketing recently which is having a huge knock-on effect on consumers and manufacturers alike – and putting upcoming launches like the Steam Machine at risk of needing to cost more.
So what’s really going on with RAM prices, and why is it costing so much more than before? Will RAM prices go back down in the near future?
With the help of experts, we’ve uncovered the situation behind the rising cost of RAM and explained what’s predicted to happen in the coming months.
What is RAM?
Before we dive into the details, it’s worth refreshing our memories on what RAM actually is and why it’s so important. RAM (short for Random Access Memory) is also known as just “memory”, but shouldn’t be confused with storage space. While the latter is where your files are all kept, RAM is what enables your device to run quickly and smoothly.
Essentially, RAM is your device’s short-term memory that holds all the data that’s actively being used. Because it erases everything when not in use, RAM is able to handle multiple high-speed tasks at once, without getting bogged down.
Generally speaking, the higher the amount of RAM, the faster you can expect your device to run. However, remember different devices won’t necessarily need as much RAM as others – so don’t be put off by the fact your smartphone is fitted with less RAM than your gaming computer.
Why have RAM prices gone up?
So why has the price of RAM increased so much over the past few months? One of the biggest driving factors is growing demand, especially as many more devices are now running AI features which require lots of memory to run smoothly.
Put simply, the fact that demand has outgrown production and supply, that has resulted in a global shortage. This shortage means prices are increasing to unsustainable levels.
However, there is more to the story. You might have seen back in October 2025 that OpenAI signed agreements with both Samsung and SK Hynix, a South Korean DRAM supplier, which represented up to a whopping 40% of the world’s entire DRAM supplies (approximately 900,000 DRAM wafers a month).
This, according to an in-depth video by Moore’s Law Is Dead, led to widespread panic from similar companies who then turned to stockpile RAM for their own needs, thus causing supply to further dwindle.
Interestingly, in the same video, Tom mentions that usually there’s a reserve of emergency DRAM supply, in the case of any situation where DRAM supply is destroyed (a natural disaster, for example.)
However, during this time, there was much less emergency supply than there should have been, which is expected to be a direct consequence of the US tariff crisis.
It’s not just RAM that’s increasing in price. Everything from SSDs to GPUs have seen prices skyrocket in the past few months, and unfortunately these prices are only expected to rise in the first quarter of 2026.
TrendForce reported in its latest memory spot price trend report (January 14th) that spot prices for DRAM “continue their daily climb” with the average price of mainstream DDR4 1Gx8 3200MT/s chips up 9.64%.
However, in the same report, TrendForce explains that there has also been a slowdown in transactions. This, it explains, is due to various reasons and not just the elevated prices. According to TrendForce, there’s been “sluggish” demand for consumer products, and as factories across China are getting ready to shut down for the Lunar New Year, this has kept demand at a stalemate.
A direct consequence of the rising cost of RAM has been Micron shutting down its Crucial brand. Known for its affordable RAM and SSDs, Crucial was a much-loved brand for hobbyists, system builders and smaller OEMs.
Instead, Micron explained that it wants to turn its attention to “improve supply and support for larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments”, which is undoubtedly a shame.
Will RAM prices go back down?
According to a report published by TrendForce back in December 2025, memory prices are only expected to rise in at least the first quarter of 2026.
This, according to its investigations, means that smartphone and computer brands are “compelled” to increase product prices and reduce specifications to reduce costs. That means consumers will technically get less bang for their buck.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. Lynden Singh, eCommerce Director at Laptop Station, predicts that pricing will start to ease by the second half of 2026. This, according to Singh, should occur once “new lines ramp at the big suppliers” and “DRAM processes mature”, which should happen with SK Hynix’s expansions, “Samsung’s additional lines and Micron’s funded builds”.
On the other hand, Michael Pedrotti, co-founder of GhostCap, says that “new manufacturing capacity will take several years to enter the market”, resulting in prices remaining high in 2026.
