Samsung Says 2027 RAM Shortage Could Get Worse as AI Demand Devours Memory Supply

RAMageddon is set to keep worsening in 2027, if Samsung’s latest outlook is any clue. The entire year of 2026 has been shaped by a RAM shortage, pushing prices higher across products ranging from the PS5 to the Steam Machine, and the next year may bring even more pressure.

During Samsung’s Q3 2026 earnings call, the company said its semiconductor division, which includes memory operations, brought in 147.1 trillion Korean Won, with 106.5 trillion as profit. That accounted for 72% of Samsung’s total revenue in the last quarter. Samsung said those results were helped by focusing production on HBM4 memory for AI data centers.

Samsung now expects the memory market to become even tighter in 2027. In discussing the memory business, the company said that surging AI demand is likely to deepen supply shortages compared with calendar year 2026. Consumer DDR5 memory barely gets a mention, as Samsung is instead concentrating on a reliable customer base by fostering enduring business relationships contracts and preparing new products designed for AI applications.

This report arrived only a few months after a Digitimes report claimed that all 2027 memory capacity had already been sold. Samsung’s outlook appears to support that view, even as the company works to expand manufacturing capacity in order to produce more RAM for AI data centers.

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  • The 2026 RAM shortage has pushed prices up across consumer hardware.
  • Samsung says AI demand will tighten supply even more in 2027.
  • Production is being directed toward HBM4 and other server-focused memory.
  • Consumer memory products are taking a lower priority across the industry.

Jackie Thomas serves as the Senior Technology Editor at IGN and the PC components Queen. She has spent over ten years reporting on gaming hardware for outlets including IGN, TechRadar, Gizmodo, PC Gamer, and others.