Absurdity in the Memory Market: Dozens of DDR5 Modules Can Buy an Apartment in Shanghai
The situation in the component market is turning into a nightmare for ordinary PC users. While the world discusses the development of AI, the prices for RAM have reached an absurd level. The latest data from China is surprising: the cost of several top-end RAM modules is equal to the price of real estate.
The Chinese portal Jiemian reports that one 256 GB DDR5 module costs 49,999 yuan - approximately $5,700. Simple arithmetic shows that 100 such modules are enough to buy an apartment in Shanghai. This clearly demonstrates the scale of the shortage and price madness in the semiconductor market.
Artificial intelligence is to blame. Demand from the AI sector is so great that key manufacturers, including Samsung and SK hynix, are redirecting capacity to produce HBM memory for AMD and NVIDIA accelerators used in data centers. The production of ordinary DRAM has taken a back seat. Manufacturers fear overproduction, which creates a bottleneck in the retail market and forces users to pay huge sums.
The price increase affects not only server modules. Standard 16 and 32 GB sticks, the foundation of modern gaming PCs, are also becoming more expensive. Analysts predict a DRAM cost increase of up to 50% in the current quarter, and the trend may continue throughout the year, making computer upgrades a luxury. If the situation from the Chinese market spreads to the rest of the world - and the chances are high - 2026 promises to be extremely expensive for PC users.
