Podbit · This Week in Tech (Audio)
Three companies control nearly all the world's RAM and SSD supply — and they've signed 3-to-5-year contracts with every major customer. Valve was told to accept the quoted price or be blacklisted. No new fabs are being built because there's no incentive to lower prices.
Where this was said
At 6:00 · chapter starts 3:15
The episode's first major segment zeroes in on the global memory shortage and its cascading effects on consumer hardware prices. Tim Cook telegraphed Apple's price increases to the Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman called it correctly: within days, MacBooks, HomePods, and even years-old Apple TVs were more expensive by up to $200, with further iPhone hikes expected in September. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy was lucky enough to buy a MacBook Neo for her son before the announcement. Daniel Rubino notes this is the second Xbox price increase, taking the console from $499 to approximately $799, with a potential further hike in 2027. Dan Patterson then delivers the structural bad news: SK Hynix, Micron, and Samsung — just three companies — control the global RAM and SSD supply, and have signed 3-to-5-year exclusive contracts with all major customers. Valve's public statement about the Steam Machine situation was particularly stark: suppliers quoted a price and told Valve to take it or face permanent blacklisting. No new fabs are under construction because there is, quite simply, no financial incentive for the chip makers to lower prices. The panel agrees the earliest plausible relief date is 2028 — if then.
Apple raised prices on virtually all its devices by up to $200, blaming an unprecedented surge in AI data center demand for memory and storage. The HomePod mini, Apple TV, and aging products nobody asked for got pricier too — and new iPhones in September could cost even more.
Apple raised prices on MacBook Neo and other devices by as much as $200, with the Neo going from $599 to $699.
SK Hynix, Micron, and Samsung collectively supply the majority of consumer electronics RAM and have signed multi-year exclusive supply deals.
Micron pushed 16 different companies into 5-year supply deals for RAM, giving chipmakers near-total pricing power over device makers.
The Xbox console has now seen two price hikes, going from $499 to roughly $799, with another potential hike possible in 2027.
The earliest consumers could expect any relief from elevated RAM and storage prices is 2028, and even then only modest decreases are likely.
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