DRAM demand has shot up thanks to the data centre gold rush. DigiTimes claims firms such as ASUS and MSI are hoovering up consumer memory on the spot market because shortages are expected to drag on until 2027.

That means RAM prices will stay inflated for at least another year. Several suppliers have stopped giving quotations, which is the corporate equivalent of hiding under a desk.

Cloud service providers are lunging for RDIMM modules, and HBM demand has gone through the roof as AI compute needs keep exploding. None of this helps the consumer PC crowd, who are bracing for higher prices.

ASUS has already warned that its product prices will rise if these shortages continue because existing inventory could last only a few weeks. The industry did not expect DRAM to vanish this quickly, which makes the entire situation even more absurd.

Part of the mess is self-inflicted. The DRAM market had been in a downtrend before the AI mania began, which led suppliers such as Samsung and SK hynix to cut production to maintain profitability. Demand spiked overnight, and the supply chain now has to crank everything back up, which takes months even when things go smoothly.

Suppliers are delighted, but for everyone else, it is a nightmare. DRAM shortages ripple through every consumer device that needs memory, which means higher prices, fewer discounts and a lot of irritated PC builders wondering why their upgrades now cost more than their rent.