{"id":19212,"date":"2026-08-02T06:49:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T06:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=19212"},"modified":"2026-08-02T06:49:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T06:49:48","slug":"ai-keeps-consumer-prices-high-in-ramaggedon-chip-crunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=19212","title":{"rendered":"AI keeps consumer prices high in &#8216;RAMaggedon&#8217; chip crunch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0\">\n<p>Print-outs of articles about the global memory chip shortage are pinned beside a price list at a Hong Kong computer shop, offering an explanation to confused customers feeling the pinch.<\/p>\n<p>Price rises for goods such as laptops and smartphones, with cars potentially next, have been an unwelcome side-effect of the artificial intelligence gold rush \u2014 and the squeeze is far from over.<\/p>\n<p>Samsung Electronics\u2019 chief financial officer said this week shortages of microchips that store digital data will likely deepen in 2027 and stay tight through 2028.<\/p>\n<p>The crunch has been nicknamed \u201cRAMaggedon\u201d after the components called RAM, or \u201crandom-access memory\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>It is caused as profit-hungry chipmakers pivot to producing high-bandwidth memory (HBM) \u2014 a more advanced type of computer memory in huge demand to help train and run AI tools.<\/p>\n<p>The articles on display at In-Technology Services \u2014 one of many compact vendors crammed into Hong Kong\u2019s Wan Chai Computer Centre \u2014 are to inform customers who \u201cdon\u2019t know what happened,\u201d manager Wade Lam told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>The centre\u2019s shops sell tech equipment of all sorts, from computer parts to gadgets and games consoles.<\/p>\n<p>Ken Tam, manager of Videocom Computer, which specialises in custom-built PCs, said business has halved since price rises began in September.<\/p>\n<p>Sixteen gigabytes of RAM used to cost HK$300-400 ($40-50) but the price has now hit HK$1,500, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen it suddenly gets so expensive, customers have a psychological barrier,\u201d Tam told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they need it, they will buy it,\u201d but otherwise they will wait, or \u201clower their standards\u201d and buy a less high-performing memory chip, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Chinese competition \u2013<\/p>\n<p>Analyst Ellie Wang at the Taiwan-based market research firm TrendForce said memory prices for PCs and smartphones were up around five to six times compared to a year ago.<\/p>\n<p>The AI boom has brought humungous profits and share price jumps to the world\u2019s top three memory chip makers: South Korea\u2019s Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, along with US giant Micron.<\/p>\n<p>In fourth place is ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), which became mainland China\u2019s most valuable company on Monday when it made its market debut in Shanghai \u2014 another sign of how red-hot the sector has become.<\/p>\n<p>CXMT, as a relative newcomer, \u201cremains in a follower position regarding leading-edge technologies\u201d, James Zhao, senior principal analyst at Omdia, told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>HBM is used in data centre servers to support other powerful chips \u2014 such as those made by US titan Nvidia \u2014 that execute the dizzyingly complex calculations of AI systems.<\/p>\n<p>But when it comes to conventional RAM, and a type for computers called DRAM, \u201cthe current supply-constrained market environment\u201d could bring CXMT \u201clate-mover advantages\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n<p>At a shopping centre in a different part of Hong Kong, customer Henry Wong, an investment banker, said he had chosen to upgrade the RAM in an older laptop instead of buying a new one with even better specs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter upgrading the memory, I found it ran really smoothly, and I stopped wanting to buy a new computer,\u201d he told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 \u2018Bubble\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n<p>Automakers say they are facing rising costs for in-vehicle computer systems, which could also soon push up the price of new vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>In Tokyo\u2019s tech hub of Akihabara, Charles Brousse, a 30-year-old graphic designer and custom PC builder from Belgium, said prices for RAM, graphics cards and motherboards have hit \u201cridiculous levels\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>For his \u201cPC &amp;amp; Chill\u201d service, Brousse does not buy parts to pre-build machines \u2014 as it is too expensive \u2014 but he requires clients to purchase their own that he assembles.<\/p>\n<p>The chip shortage is pushing people to buy cheaper laptops than desktops, which can last up to a decade, said Brousse, in Tokyo on his honeymoon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure that\u2019s a good thing; people end up buying products with shorter lifespans, which fuels a cycle of consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brousse added that the fact it is driven by the \u201cspeculative bubble\u201d of AI is also frustrating, \u201cbecause I\u2019m a graphic designer by trade, so AI has a real impact on my profession.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> AI keeps consumer prices high in &#8216;RAMaggedon&#8217; chip crunch<br \/>\n<br \/>#consumer #prices #high #RAMaggedon #chip #crunch<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Print-outs of articles about the global memory chip shortage are pinned beside a price list&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[5177,1886,3929,85,342,14929],"class_list":["post-19212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-chip","tag-consumer","tag-crunch","tag-high","tag-prices","tag-ramaggedon"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/19b2f635ef1aa5aed109838c39a74ab056809f7e.jpg",768,512,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/19b2f635ef1aa5aed109838c39a74ab056809f7e-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/19b2f635ef1aa5aed109838c39a74ab056809f7e-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/19b2f635ef1aa5aed109838c39a74ab056809f7e.jpg",640,427,false],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/19b2f635ef1aa5aed109838c39a74ab056809f7e.jpg",640,427,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/19b2f635ef1aa5aed109838c39a74ab056809f7e.jpg",768,512,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/19b2f635ef1aa5aed109838c39a74ab056809f7e.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/19b2f635ef1aa5aed109838c39a74ab056809f7e.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/19b2f635ef1aa5aed109838c39a74ab056809f7e-768x500.jpg",768,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/19b2f635ef1aa5aed109838c39a74ab056809f7e.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/19b2f635ef1aa5aed109838c39a74ab056809f7e-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/19b2f635ef1aa5aed109838c39a74ab056809f7e-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}