AI memory prices may shoot up by 55% in 2026 as RAM market struggles to meet demand from Nvidia, Google, others

By December this year, there will not be enough memory or RAM for all your computers or mobile phones — an essential part of all computing devices — thanks to AI.

All computing devices require RAM for short-term memory storage, and the demand from companies like Nvidia , Advanced Micro Devices and Google for their artificial intelligence chips are far greater than the supply, according to a report by CNBC. They are first in line to get access to those components.

The businesses of Samsung Electronics, Micron and SK Hynix are experiencing a sharp surge in demand. They make up almost all of the RAM market.

“We have seen a very sharp, significant surge in demand for memory, and it has far outpaced our ability to supply that memory and, in our estimation, the supply capability of the whole memory industry,” Micron business chief Sumit Sadana was quoted as saying by CNBC at an event.

Shares of Micron have jumped 247% in a year, and in its most recent quarter the company reported its net income has tripled. Samsung, too, said earlier this week that its operating profit is expected to triple in the December quarter.

Meanwhile, SK Hynix, which is considering listing its stock in the US as prices in South Korea rise, said that it had secured its demand for its RAM capacity in all of 2026.

As a result of all of this, prices of memory are rising, CNBC reported.

Taipei-based research firm TrendForce, which closely covers the memory market, said earlier that DRAM memory prices may rise between 50% and 55% this quarter as compared to the fourth quarter of 2025.

(This is a developing story. Check back for updates)