{"id":218579,"date":"2026-04-20T10:19:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/they-say-things-get-worse-before-they-get-better-the-ram-crisis-shows-they-can-always-get-worse\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T10:19:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:19:55","slug":"they-say-things-get-worse-before-they-get-better-the-ram-crisis-shows-they-can-always-get-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/they-say-things-get-worse-before-they-get-better-the-ram-crisis-shows-they-can-always-get-worse\/","title":{"rendered":"They Say Things Get Worse Before They Get Better: The RAM Crisis Shows They Can Always Get Worse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div>\n<h2>The RAM Crisis: An Overview of Industry Challenges<\/h2>\n<p>The current landscape for hardware manufacturers is dominated by hyperscalers, pushing them to produce predominantly for the largest corporations. This shift has given rise to a significant RAM and SSD crisis affecting various sectors. The transition to newer technologies no longer hinges on a company&#8217;s specific needs but rather on what is available in the market. A recent report from <a rel=\"noopener, noreferrer nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thelec.kr\/news\/articleView.html?idxno=55227\" target=\"_blank\">The Elec<\/a> highlights Samsung&#8217;s shift in focus, which may reshape the future of mobile devices and technology reliant on soldered RAM.<\/p>\n<h2>The Shift from LPDDR4 to LPDDR5<\/h2>\n<p>In the world of RAM, the transition from <strong><s>LPDDR4<\/s><\/strong> to <strong>LPDDR5<\/strong> signifies a crucial advancement. Low-Power Double Data Rate (LPDDR) memory is the preferred choice for devices like smartphones, tablets, and ultrabooks due to its high speeds and low energy consumption. However, the dependency on soldered RAM comes with drawbacks, as replacing or expanding this memory is impossible.<\/p>\n<p>Despite its outdated nature, many entry-level and mid-range devices still rely on LPDDR4 to keep costs low. Reports indicate that Samsung has started to cut supply for LPDDR4 and LPDDR4X modules. This pivotal change means that manufacturers will have to transition to LPDDR5, which offers better performance but at a higher price point.<\/p>\n<h2>The Financial Implications<\/h2>\n<p>The ramifications of this transition are already apparent. Currently, memory constitutes about 20% of an entry-level mobile phone\u2019s manufacturing costs, with projections indicating this could rise to 40%. This shift will inevitably impact the price of smartphones:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Entry-level: an increase of approximately $30 per unit.<\/li>\n<li>Mid-range: a hike of $60 to $80 per unit.<\/li>\n<li>Premium: a surge of $100 to $150 per unit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Samsung\u2019s Market Strategy<\/h3>\n<p>Interestingly, Samsung\u2019s strategy does not include preferential treatment for its mobile devices. Despite its substantial control over memory production, the company has openly stated that it will not impact its own mobile phone pricing. The upcoming Galaxy A17 demonstrates this shift, showcasing two models: one equipped with the older LPDDR4X and the other with the faster LPDDR5, potentially making the device more desirable yet pricier.<\/p>\n<h2>Enter HBM: High-Bandwidth Memory<\/h2>\n<p>Simultaneously, Samsung is investing in High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM). These high-performance memory types are essential for artificial intelligence platforms and have seen a significant reduction in development cycles, now only taking one year instead of two. This move aligns Samsung with major players in the AI sector like NVIDIA and AMD, ensuring it remains competitive in high-demand markets.<\/p>\n<h2>The Forecast: A Long Road Ahead<\/h2>\n<p>The RAM crisis will continue to linger, with the memory industry bottlenecked by the dominance of just a few companies\u2014SK Hynix, Micron, and Samsung. The decision to prioritize AI requirements further complicates recovery, with an alarming forecast predicting that demand will significantly outpace production until at least 2027.<\/p>\n<p>While these companies are thriving\u2014Samsung made more profit in three months of 2026 than in all of 2025\u2014the average consumer faces increasing prices and reduced options. Estimates suggest that full recovery may not occur until 2028 or beyond, leaving a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the tech industry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/category\/general\/\" rel=\"dofollow\">General News &#8211; 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The RAM Crisis: An Overview of Industry Challenges The current landscape for hardware manufacturers is dominated by hyperscalers, pushing them to produce predominantly for the largest corporations. This shift has given rise to a significant RAM and SSD crisis affecting various sectors. The transition to newer technologies no longer hinges on a company&#8217;s specific needs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":218580,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[201,45118,61,1565],"class_list":["post-218579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-crisis","tag-ram","tag-shows","tag-worse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218579"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":218581,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218579\/revisions\/218581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}