Memory makers have no plans to increase RAM production despite crushing memory shortages — ‘modest’ 2026 increase predicted as DRAM makers hedge their AI bets
IIRC from past reading, they ramped up capacity during a prior shortage like a decade back or something and then ate a bunch of losses when the shortage ended.
Hmm.
Looks like there might have been a more-recent glut than that:
Samsung to extend production cuts after $7 billion chip loss in first half
July 27, 2023 12:18 AM PDT Updated July 27, 2023
SEOUL, July 27 (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics said the worst is over for the global memory chip market but announced plans to extend production cuts because a demand recovery is largely constrained to high-end chips used in artificial intelligence.
The move underscores the unprecedented semiconductor downturn that led the South Korean firm to incur a record 8.9 trillion won ($7 billion) operating loss from its bread-and-butter chip business in the first six months of this year.
So just over two years ago they were coming out of a money-losing period.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/dram/memory-makers-have-no-plans-to-increase-production-despite-crushing-ram-shortages-modest-2026-increase-predicted-as-dram-makers-hedge-their-ai-bets
This almost seems like collusion in an oligopolistic environment.
gotta artificially maintain the scarcity so prices, and profits, stay sky high.
IIRC from past reading, they ramped up capacity during a prior shortage like a decade back or something and then ate a bunch of losses when the shortage ended.
Hmm.
Looks like there might have been a more-recent glut than that:
https://www.reuters.com/technology/samsung-elec-q2-profit-plunges-95-chip-glut-persists-2023-07-27/
So just over two years ago they were coming out of a money-losing period.
Still, forcing MB & RAM purchases together is a stupid way to address this.
Try a measured ramp up in production; not, “grab all the cash you can in the shortest amount of time possible” method.