'The memory chip market is heading toward a severe shortage': analyst firm believes RAM crisis could get far worse in 2027 - and you can blame AI ramping up

RAM Crisis Could Worsen in 2027

A new report from KB Securities paints an increasingly pessimistic picture of the memory chip market, warning that the RAM crisis may intensify significantly in 2027.

Severe Supply Shortage Looming

According to the report, the "memory chip market is heading toward a severe supply shortage" in 2027. Citing KB Securities, Samsung and SK Hynix are now down to fewer than 10 days of memory inventory - dangerously close to running dry.

AI Demand as the Primary Driver

The AI boom is identified as the central cause of the tightening supply. Memory chip manufacturers are struggling to meet demand for HBM4 memory in AI data centers. Key figures:

• Infrastructure investments for AI development have been revised upward to $1.3 trillion for 2027
• This represents a 60% year-on-year increase

Kim Dong-won, head of research at KB Securities, told Business Korea:

"AI servers will absorb demand for not only HBM but also server DDR5 and enterprise SSDs, potentially leading to a historic shortage."

Framework Takes Unusual Step

Amid the bad news, laptop maker Framework has taken an unusual step to help consumers. As reported by VideoCardz, the company has secured fresh memory modules at a lower price and is passing the savings on:

• Some current Framework Laptop orders will see reduced prices
• The company announced on X that it is "retroactively reducing prices for orders that shipped at higher price"

This follows Framework's earlier price hikes driven by increased RAM costs, a move mirrored by other notebook manufacturers.

Analysis: Historic Level of Gloom

The talk of a "historic shortage" represents an escalation of recent chatter about global memory supply woes, which has already turned highly negative. While the latest report focuses on server DDR5 RAM and HBM, this will inevitably affect consumer products as well - less profitable memory sticks are likely to be sidelined further.

With rumors about GPU price hikes resurfacing, the news cycle offers little relief. The pessimism may be overblown, but the signs point toward a difficult period ahead for the memory market.