Samsung predicts global memory chip shortage to last through 2028
Samsung Electronics, which supplies roughly one‑third of the world’s memory chips, warned that the RAM shortage will worsen in 2027 and remain tight through 2028 as AI‑driven data‑center demand fuels a surge in high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) production. The shift toward HBM has reduced the supply of standard DRAM for consumer devices, pushing 16 GB RAM prices in Hong Kong from HK$300‑400 to about HK$1,500. The shortage is raising prices for smartphones, laptops, tablets and other consumer electronics, and has forced Samsung’s semiconductor division to record sales while its smartphone and TV divisions face margin pressure.
TrendForce forecasts a global NAND flash supply gap of 4‑5 % in 2023 that will not improve until the second half of 2027, and predicts AI‑server demand will keep growing, further tightening DRAM and NAND supplies. Companies are increasingly prioritising long‑term supply contracts with AI labs, accelerating the reallocation of wafer capacity to AI‑focused memory and extending the pricing pressure on consumer devices through at least 2028.
Entities: AI data centers · Apple · Apple Inc · Apple Inc. · Artificial Intelligence (AI) data‑center market · Artificial intelligence (AI) data centers · ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) · High‑bandwidth memory (HBM) · Hong Kong · Jaejune Kim · Kim Jaejune · Micron Technology
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 9 SOURCES] Samsung's mobile division posted its first quarterly operating loss. (Samsung)
- [● 12 SOURCES] AI‑driven demand is increasing RAM consumption worldwide. (Samsung)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Samsung predicts the global RAM shortage will continue until 2028. (Samsung)
- [● 13 SOURCES] Prices of smartphones, tablets and PCs are rising because of the RAM shortage. (Samsung)
- [● 11 SOURCES] Samsung produces roughly one‑third of global RAM. (Samsung)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Nvidia plans to increase GPU prices by 20‑30%. (Nvidia)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Apple raised prices of MacBook, Mac and iPad due to the memory shortage. (Apple)
- [● 9 SOURCES] Samsung's semiconductor division earned a record operating profit of about $61.7 billion. (Samsung)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The RAM shortage is driving rising prices for smartphones, tablets and PCs. (Samsung)
- [● 2 SOURCES] HBM shortage will persist through 2027‑2028, limiting AI infrastructure supply. (Samsung)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Microsoft plans to reduce the RAM consumption of Windows 11 for PCs with 8 GB of memory. (Microsoft)
- [● 11 SOURCES] Samsung predicts the global RAM shortage will continue until at least 2028. (Samsung)