Samsung's memory division executive stated at an investor meeting that RAM supply will not increase until 2028.
The RAM memory shortage crisis shows no signs of easing and continues to impact computer hardware manufacturers, with indications that this situation may become the new normal for the industry.
According to a TweakTown report, Samsung predicts the memory shortage will worsen in 2027 and continue through 2028, directly affecting consumers with steadily rising retail prices for RAM kits, gaming consoles, and prebuilt computers.
Jaehun Kim, Samsung's Executive Vice President of the Memory Chip Business, told investors at the latest earnings briefing that the company does not expect any supply increase until 2028 and anticipates supply constraints will intensify in 2027.
Essentially, this means the price increases already seen for Sony's PS5, Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S, as well as upcoming game consoles, are likely to face similar upward price pressures.
The same applies to Valve's Steam Machine, which Valve previously said was priced above their target retail price of $750. The RAM crisis has left Valve no choice but to forgo subsidizing the Steam Machine price as they did with the Steam Deck.
It is not only Samsung forecasting a worsening RAM crisis. Gamesbeat cited a Deloitte report estimating that combined capital investment by the three major memory producers—Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron—will increase nearly 340 percent between 2024 and 2027.
However, the new supply resulting from this increased investment is not expected to arrive before 2029 or 2030, suggesting the RAM crisis is only beginning. This implies Samsung’s forecast may be overly optimistic, understating the severity of the memory shortage.
Manufacturers and consumers may soon face a situation where the RAM crisis becomes the new normal, pushing the computer hardware market into a state of complete instability.
Meanwhile, graphics card prices have risen over recent months. Nvidia has reintroduced older models like the RTX 3060, and AMD launched the 8GB Radeon RX 9050. Both moves signal the market is experiencing its worst conditions in decades, with little hope for improvement in the near future.