Memory Shipments Could Collapse by 70% as Early as 2027, Warns Apacer Head

The market faces an unprecedented crisis.

The RAM market could face an unprecedented crisis as early as 2027. According to Chang Qi-Kai, CEO of Taiwanese company Apacer, DRAM shipments next year could drop by as much as 70% compared to 2026. The main reason will be the rapid reallocation of production capacity towards HBM (High Bandwidth Memory), which is in huge demand today due to the development of artificial intelligence.

According to the Apacer CEO, DRAM manufacturers will only be able to produce about 30% of the memory volumes produced in 2026. This would mean one of the most severe shortages in the industry's history.

A similar forecast was previously voiced by SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung. During a recent conversation with investors, he stated that despite already observed memory supply problems, 2027 could be the worst year in the industry's history in terms of supply.

According to Business Times data, the total volume of memory wafer production in 2027–2028 will increase by approximately 12% annually, but about half of the new capacity will be directed specifically to HBM, used in AI accelerators.

Samsung is expected to increase HBM shipments from 12 billion GB in 2026 to 20 billion GB in 2027, while SK hynix will increase volumes from 18 billion to 24 billion GB over the same period.

Because of this, the growth of conventional DRAM production will be limited to approximately 15% per year during 2027–2028, while demand, according to analysts' forecasts, will grow by approximately 22%. Such a gap between supply and market demand could lead to further price increases for RAM for PCs, servers, and other electronics.