(Credit: Matthew Buzzi/PCMag)
In an effort to preserve existing stock, Framework Computer has delisted DDR RAM as a standalone product due to the memory shortage.
"The memory market is in a bad spot," Framework Computer tweeted on Monday night.
Pricing for DDR5 RAM has surged by over 200% amid growing demand for new AI data centers, which have been depleting memory supplies. Framework, an upgradable laptop maker, previously sold DDR5 and DDR4 RAM kits via its online store. But the San Francisco company has now halted many of the sales, listing the products as "coming soon" instead.
"We haven’t changed our memory pricing, but we did have to delist standalone memory from our Marketplace to head off scalpers and preserve inventory for people buying it with our DIY Edition laptops," Framework tweeted.
In more bad news, Framework said: “Our memory costs from our suppliers are increasing substantially, though, so it is likely we will need to increase memory pricing soon."
As we noted yesterday, DDR RAM can now cost more than a PlayStation 5. The situation has become so dire that Lenovo, the world’s largest PC vendor, has resorted to stockpiling enough memory components to last it through next year, according to Bloomberg.
This means Lenovo will be able to head off price increases for its PC products. But if you’re looking to build a desktop on your own, consider buying RAM now before prices rise further. So far, we haven’t seen major price increases for RAM on eBay, where scalpers usually resell goods, but things could change. Recent data indicate that prices are trending upwards.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney also warned on Monday: “RAM price increases will be a real problem for high-end gaming for several years. Factories are diverting leading-edge DRAM capacity to meet AI needs, where data centers are bidding far higher than consumer device makers.”