Published on December 28, 2025, this NPR piece (reported by John Ruwitch) explains how the explosive growth in artificial intelligence is creating a global shortage of memory chips, particularly DRAM (dynamic random access memory, the main type of RAM), driving up prices for everything from smartphones and PCs to game consoles and TVs.

Key Points from the Article:

- Cause of the Shortage : AI training and inference require massive, high-bandwidth memory near GPUs in data centers. This has made demand "non-cyclical" — unlike past booms, it can't be scaled back without crippling performance.

- Supply-Demand Imbalance : Demand exceeds supply by about 10% and is growing rapidly.

- Price Surge : Manufacturers paid 50% more for common DRAM this quarter vs. the last, with premiums of 2-3x for faster delivery. TrendForce VP Avril Wu forecasts another 40% rise next quarter, with no relief expected in 2026.

- Companies Impacted : Micron Technology (a major U.S. RAM producer) has seen strong earnings from the boom. Its CEO says supply will remain "substantially short" of demand.

- Broader Effects : Production is shifting to AI-specific high-end memory, leaving less for consumer devices. Dell's COO has warned that higher costs will likely be passed on to PC buyers.

- Timeline for Relief : Existing factories will hit max capacity by end-2026; new ones (e.g., Micron's Idaho fab) won't come online until 2027 or later.

- Expert Advice : Wu recommends buying devices now (she even bought an iPhone recently) before prices climb further.

Wider Context (Late 2025 Memory Crisis)

This NPR report aligns with widespread industry coverage of a "DRAM supercycle" driven by AI:

- Memory makers (Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron) are reallocating wafer capacity to profitable High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) for AI accelerators (e.g., Nvidia GPUs), which uses far more resources per GB than standard DDR DRAM. This starves consumer and server DRAM supply.

- Prices for DDR5/DDR4 kits have surged dramatically in some markets (reports of 300-600% increases for higher-capacity sticks in late 2025).

- Consumer impacts: PC/laptop makers (Dell, HP) are raising prices; even Raspberry Pi boards cost more. Analysts (IDC, TrendForce) predict shortages persisting into 2027, with PC and smartphone prices potentially up 8%+ in 2026.

- AI side: HBM is sold out through 2026; massive deals (e.g., OpenAI with Samsung/SK Hynix) are locking up future capacity.

In short, the AI boom is reshaping the memory market structurally — great for chipmakers' profits, but tough for anyone buying a new phone, laptop, or building a PC right now. If you're in the market for tech gadgets, the article's implied advice holds: consider purchasing sooner rather than later.