Memory at record highs: DDR5 up to 440 percent dearer as AI data centres absorb production
Memory, solid state drives and hard disks are all at record prices at once. Manufacturers expect relief in mid-2027 at the earliest.
Illustration · AI-generated (AI IN LIFE)
At a glance
- RAM, SSDs and hard disks at record levels simultaneously (mid-August 2026)
- DDR5 increases of up to 440 percent against pre-shortage levels
- Industry estimates: data centres absorb roughly 70 percent of high-end memory chips
- That share used to be about 20 to 30 percent
- Manufacturers expect relief in mid-2027 at the earliest
The AI boom has reached a point where consumers feel it directly: memory. In mid-August 2026, RAM, solid state drives and hard disks are simultaneously at record price levels – a combination not seen in this form before, because the three product groups normally move independently of one another.
DDR5 is hit hardest. Market watchers cite increases of up to four hundred forty percent against pre-shortage levels. Anyone upgrading or building a machine today pays a multiple of what the same amount of memory cost only a few quarters ago.
The cause lies not in the consumer market but in how manufacturing capacity is allocated. Industry estimates put data centre consumption at roughly seventy percent of high-end memory output, up from perhaps twenty to thirty percent a few years ago. The major manufacturers have shifted capacity heavily toward high-performance memory for AI accelerators.
That leaves the traditional PC market competing directly with demand that can pay substantially more and commit to long-term volumes. For memory makers the calculation is straightforward – for everyone else it means a scarcity that cannot be solved by switching brands.
No short-term relief is in sight. Manufacturers expect conditions to ease in mid-2027 at the earliest, because new fabrication capacity takes years to come online. Some voices in the industry expect the squeeze to last considerably longer. For now, anyone able to postpone a purchase is postponing it.
FAQ
Why are memory prices rising so sharply?
Not because of consumer demand, but because manufacturers have shifted production toward high-performance memory for AI accelerators. The PC market now competes with a buyer that pays more.
Does switching brands help?
No. The scarcity affects manufacturing capacity itself and therefore hits all suppliers equally.
When will prices fall again?
Manufacturers expect easing in mid-2027 at the earliest, because new fabrication capacity takes years. Some in the industry expect the squeeze to last considerably longer.
