Another day, another company declaring that the current memory crisis driving RAM prices through the roof is far from over. This time it’s Micron, one of three firms – Samsung and SK Hynix are the others – which have been accused of worsening the RAM crisis via price fixing by a US lawsuit.
CEO Sanjay Mehrotra confirmed that Micron have already sold most of the memory they’ll make next year in an earnings call about the firm’s results for the 2026 financial year (via The Register). Those buying RAM next year will also pay “much higher prices” than folks buying this year, he added.
“In calendar 2027 as well as 2028, we see demand exceeding supply,” Mehrotra said “In fact, we see greater tightness in the industry in 2027 and in 2028 versus 2026. Overall, supply-demand environment is only getting tighter. We do not have line of sight to when supply and demand will return to balance.”
In the meantime, Micron will continue to rake it in by selling to both AI firms and consumers, with the type of RAM the latter group need being severely constricted by the companies turning their attention to filling the AI datacentre orders. Hence the higher prices for consumer memory, and Mehrotra’s babbling about tightness.
The fact that none of Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix have moved to take advantage of the industry’s push towards providing for AI by reversing course to fill the unserved demand left on the consumer memory side, likely making a ton of money selling more reasonably priced RAM for regular devices in the process, is at the centre of that ongoing US lawsuit. Basically, the trio are being accused of not acting like genuine competitors should in order to fix prices, the sort of practice all three have been fined for or avoided a fine for via co-operation with authorities during previous decades.
For now, the chip makers can keep on seeing nothing but gaudy profit margins and hordes of folks thoroughly ticked off that they can’t upgrade or replace certain PC parts without handing over their firstborn children.