The RAM crisis is poised to worsen, and your new devices may bear the cost.

      Nvidia’s upcoming AI powerhouse may further strain the RAM market

      The memory market is already in a dire situation, and Nvidia's new Rubin could intensify the issues. A report from Fast Company, referencing forecasts from Citrini Research, suggests that Nvidia’s next generation AI platform might need over 6 billion GB of LPDDR memory by 2027. Given that LPDDR (low-power dynamic RAM) is primarily utilized in smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices, this could exacerbate price increases.

      If this report holds true, Nvidia alone might consume more memory than both Apple and Samsung combined.

      Citrini Research

      Impact of Rubin on consumer memory supply

      Nvidia’s Rubin platform represents the company's significant advancement in AI hardware following Blackwell. Designed to meet the surging demand for generative AI and real-time processing, this next-gen platform is anticipated to be twice as fast as Blackwell. However, this growth leads to scalability challenges.

      Citrini anticipates Nvidia’s LPDDR demand will reach 6.041 billion GB in 2027, compared to Apple’s 2.966 billion GB and Samsung’s 2.724 billion GB. Nvidia is expected to surpass both companies' usage individually this year and then exceed their combined demand next year. This tremendous demand could place even more strain on the already tight memory supply, particularly as Google, AMD, and other AI competitors also increase their LPDDR requirements.

      Your next phone or laptop may be affected

      The ongoing memory shortage is already leading to significant price increases across consumer electronics, impacting new devices. As many gadgets from the pandemic era, such as TVs and PCs, enter their refresh cycles, replacing items from smartphones to smart TVs has become considerably more costly.

      Memory prices have reportedly surged by 150% to over 200% in the past year, with storage costs rising similarly. The RAM situation has become so challenging that even expandable storage might make a comeback in smartphones. Although Rubin could be a significant advancement for Nvidia, consumers may face much higher prices for their next technology purchases.