Pay any attention to the computer market these days and one thing becomes abundantly clear: RAM—or Random-Access Memory—has gotten pretty expensive. Memory prices have already surged approximately 90% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the fourth quarter of 2025,

Used-laptop resellers in Singapore are profiting from AI-driven memory chip shortages by extracting high-value hardware components or reselling the devices to buyers across Asian markets.

There's a RAM shortage at the moment. RAM, as in random access memory. The memory computer keeps immediately at hand, so it can perform tasks quickly. How can that be? Well, as with so much these days, it all comes down to chips and AI. We're joined now by Sean Hollister, senior editor at The Verge. Thanks so much for being with us.

The world has a memory problem, thanks to artificial intelligence. The explosion in AI-related cloud computing and data centers has led to so much demand for certain types of memory chips that now there's a shortage. The imbalance is expected to start ...

A growing procession of tech industry leaders, including Elon Musk and Tim Coo,k are warning about a global crisis in the making: A shortage of memory chips is beginning to hammer profits, derail corporate plans and inflate price tags on everything from laptops and smartphones to automobiles