Overview
- Samsung warned on its July 30 earnings call that memory shortages will intensify through 2027 and that it does not expect significant new supply before 2028.
- The squeeze is driven by demand for high‑bandwidth memory used in AI servers, which requires complex stacked dies and long qualification times so new capacity takes years to bring online.
- Memory prices have surged, with Morgan Stanley estimating the price per gigabyte of RAM rose from about $2.80 in 2025 to roughly $12 in 2026, sharply increasing device component costs.
- Samsung’s chip business reported a record operating profit in Q2 while its mobile division posted a loss as the company locked roughly two‑thirds of memory output into multi‑year deals with major data‑center operators.
- Analysts say the price boom may be entering a late stage and note planned Chinese capacity growth from firms such as CXMT that could add supply by late 2028, but any broad relief remains uncertain and long dated.