Hazy Memory
The article examines the recent shortage of DRAM and NAND memory that has made products like Macs and Steam Boxes hard to find. It explores how memory manufacturers are pointing to production cutbacks and shifting demand as causes, while also discussing the impact on vertical integration strategies at companies like Apple.
Background
- In early 2025, a sudden, severe shortage of DRAM (the main memory chips in computers) made many laptops and handheld gaming PCs hard to find or very expensive. Apple products (Macs) and Steam Decks were hit especially hard.
- Micron is one of only three companies in the world that manufacture DRAM (alongside Samsung and SK Hynix). The article is skeptical of Micron's public explanation that the shortage is caused by surging demand for AI-related memory chips.
- The background issue: Micron and the other DRAM makers have a history of colluding to keep prices high. They were fined billions for a price-fixing cartel in the 2000s. The article hints that the current "shortage" may be an intentional production cut by manufacturers to raise prices, disguised as an AI-driven supply crunch.
- This matters because it is raising the cost of upgrading or buying computers, and it shows how a tiny oligopoly of suppliers can disrupt the entire tech industry.