RAM Prices Jump Back to 2007 Levels as AI-Driven HBM Demand Erases 20 Years of Declines
Updated
Updated · Tom's Hardware · Aug 7
RAM Prices Jump Back to 2007 Levels as AI-Driven HBM Demand Erases 20 Years of Declines
3 articles · Updated · Tom's Hardware · Aug 7
Summary
DDR5 memory now costs about $11.41 to $13.28 per GB, putting RAM back near 2008 nominal price levels and reversing roughly two decades of long-term declines within months.
AI-driven demand for high-bandwidth memory is the main force behind the surge: supply is still growing about 20% annually, but demand is rising closer to 200%, according to industry comments cited in the report.
The price spike is spreading beyond PCs, hitting graphics cards, smartphones, gaming consoles and automobiles, while even modules using Chinese CXMT chips have broadly tracked the big suppliers' higher pricing.
Apple CEO Tim Cook warned a day earlier that memory costs will be "even higher" this quarter, underscoring a broader industry view that current pricing is abnormally high and likely unsustainable without more supply or lower-memory AI designs.