Lenovo saying RAM prices may never go back to how they were
Lenovo has stated that current high RAM prices may become the new normal, suggesting they might never return to previous lower levels. The company's comments indicate that rising component costs could persist, affecting future pricing for consumers.
Background
- RAM (Random Access Memory) is the short-term memory your computer uses to run programs. Prices for it have been rising sharply over the past year after a long period of being relatively cheap.
- Lenovo is the world's largest PC maker (ThinkPad laptops, Legion gaming PCs, Yoga tablets).
- The company's top executive said they expect current high DRAM (memory chip) prices to become "the new normal" — meaning consumers should not expect prices to ever drop back to the low levels seen in 2022-2023.
- This is driven by two factors: (1) memory chip makers (Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron) have cut production to boost profits after a supply glut caused prices to crash, and (2) booming demand for AI data centers is consuming huge amounts of memory chips, diverting supply away from PCs.
- For consumers, this means building or upgrading a PC is significantly more expensive now, and that may be permanent rather than a temporary spike.