The whole AI boom is causing a massive memory shortage, and it's changing plans for older tech. Samsung is reportedly delaying the end of life for DDR4 production because server customers are desperate for it, and contract prices have shot up. They are not doing this for PC gamers, though; all this extra DDR4 will be locked down for specific clients with long-term, non-cancellable contracts starting next year.
This means regular consumers hoping DDR4 stays cheap as an alternative are out of luck. Prices are likely going up across the board. The shortage is so severe that it's even giving AMD's older AM4 platform a surprise sales bump, as people scramble for affordable builds. Manufacturers like Samsung see way more profit in feeding the AI and server beast right now, so the PC market is getting sidelined. The supply chain issues are not letting up, and companies are taking these emergency steps to secure their high-end DDR5 and HBM output by guaranteeing a market for their older DDR4 lines.
This means regular consumers hoping DDR4 stays cheap as an alternative are out of luck. Prices are likely going up across the board. The shortage is so severe that it's even giving AMD's older AM4 platform a surprise sales bump, as people scramble for affordable builds. Manufacturers like Samsung see way more profit in feeding the AI and server beast right now, so the PC market is getting sidelined. The supply chain issues are not letting up, and companies are taking these emergency steps to secure their high-end DDR5 and HBM output by guaranteeing a market for their older DDR4 lines.
