The cost of RAM chips tripled in 2026, resulting in significant price increases across various electronic devices such as smartphones, computers, and video games. According to the CEO of SK Hynix, one of the three leading South Korean RAM producers, this memory shortage tends to intensify in 2027, as companies will only be able to increase their production capacity starting in 2030.
Smartphone sales show sharp decline
In the second quarter of this year, the global smartphone market registered an 11% contraction, according to data provided by the consultancy Counterpoint Research. This was the worst performance observed since 2013, with the main cause being the generalized increase in device prices, driven by the RAM shortage. Despite the reduction in sales, manufacturers' revenue managed to grow by 7%, due to smartphones becoming more expensive.
Chinese companies may alleviate the problem
ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is in the process of building two factories located in Shanghai and Hefei, aiming to double its production by the end of this year. With this, CXMT intends to enter the international RAM market robustly, which is currently dominated by Korean companies such as SK Hynix and Samsung, in addition to the American company Micron. CXMT conducted its IPO on the Shanghai stock exchange and quickly established itself as China's most valuable company, reaching a value of US$ 550 billion.