RAMflation!! Why is RAM so expensive nowdays
Cheapest DDR4 32 GB: Samsung M386A - $109.00, Crucial CT32G4 - $109.99
Cheapest DDR5 32 GB: Crucial CT32G5 (These are low-budget versions aswell) - $179.51
Cheapest General-Quality DDR5 32GB: Crucial Pro $260.99
...
What is with the prices of RAM??? For the Crucial Pro 32GB, You can get a Ryzen 7 Zen 4, or a Ryzen 5 Zen 5 - Or Ryzen 9 Zen 3 if you feel like spending an extra 9 bucks.
You see, the reason for the increases of these prices is becuase of...
AI.
Freaking AI!!
Since way more AI companies have been highly demanding RAM due to new massive data centres with millions of servers that require millions of Gigabytes of RAM to operate. RAM companies have been pivoting more towards AI for profits because those AI companies are filthy rich and will pay crazy prices simply because they can, but we don't have such money, So we can't bring them as much profits. One very iconic RAM company known as Crucial is FULLY moving out of the consumer market towards the AI Market. RAM prices have increased because AI companies will pay even a thousand dollars for 64 GB, because its well, a company, and not average Joe's wallet with 60 thousand dollars. Joe can't just spend 2% of his whole money just for a nice computer with some good RAM.
Frick AI,
And Frick CEOs that aim for maximized profits with zero care about their userbase.
And don't you dare hit me with the "Corporate companies always aim for maximized profits, what did you expect?"
Cheapest DDR5 32 GB: Crucial CT32G5 (These are low-budget versions aswell) - $179.51
Cheapest General-Quality DDR5 32GB: Crucial Pro $260.99
...
What is with the prices of RAM??? For the Crucial Pro 32GB, You can get a Ryzen 7 Zen 4, or a Ryzen 5 Zen 5 - Or Ryzen 9 Zen 3 if you feel like spending an extra 9 bucks.
You see, the reason for the increases of these prices is becuase of...
AI.
Freaking AI!!
Since way more AI companies have been highly demanding RAM due to new massive data centres with millions of servers that require millions of Gigabytes of RAM to operate. RAM companies have been pivoting more towards AI for profits because those AI companies are filthy rich and will pay crazy prices simply because they can, but we don't have such money, So we can't bring them as much profits. One very iconic RAM company known as Crucial is FULLY moving out of the consumer market towards the AI Market. RAM prices have increased because AI companies will pay even a thousand dollars for 64 GB, because its well, a company, and not average Joe's wallet with 60 thousand dollars. Joe can't just spend 2% of his whole money just for a nice computer with some good RAM.
Frick AI,
And Frick CEOs that aim for maximized profits with zero care about their userbase.
And don't you dare hit me with the "Corporate companies always aim for maximized profits, what did you expect?"
Comments
But when the bubble bursts, we should have lots of cheap used RAM floating around.
In 2024, ChatGPT managed to sum up a total of
1 Billion dollars in losses,
And in the FIRST quarter of 2025...
A mere 17.5 billion dollars in losses of H1 2025, not expenses, but in profit. If ChatGPT and other AI companies can't make themselfs subscription-based soon, it is certain that the userbase will milk it dry.
And if they do make themselves subscription-based, they will certainly have less expenses, for way less revenue, for either still billions of dollars in expenses or if lucky enough, just barely into the +Profit zone.
Soon these AI companies will hopefully get dried from their own userbase and RAM gets cheap again.