NAND industry

Industry observers are asking when the global memory chip shortage will ease. The squeeze is driven by surging AI infrastructure demand, limited wafer capacity, and the priority given to HBM production, while DRAM and NAND investment remains constrained. New manufacturing capacity takes years to build, so analysts say relief is unlikely before major fabs now under construction come online.

Memory marketplace BuySellRam has compared twenty forecasts published over the past year on when the shortage of DRAM and NAND chips will end. It finds predictions vary widely, shaped by AI-driven demand, wafer capacity constraints, new fab construction and shifts in memory technology, leaving the duration of supply constraints highly uncertain.

Micron's chief executive said the memory market will be considerably tighter in 2027 and 2028 than in 2026, signaling continued constraints on DRAM and NAND availability. The comments point to sustained demand from AI data centers outpacing supply growth, raising expectations of higher memory prices and longer lead times for PC, phone and server makers in the coming years.

Micron's chief executive says the memory market will be considerably tighter in 2027 and 2028 than in 2026, signalling expectations of a supply squeeze in DRAM and NAND in the coming years. The remarks point to demand pressure, likely tied to AI data-centre buildouts, outpacing available memory capacity. Industry watchers are weighing what this means for memory prices and chip buyers.