Folks hoping that the ongoing RAM-ageddon would wind down in the near future will likely be upset to hear that the CEO of a major PC company believes it’s only going to get way, way worse. The head of Dell recently predicted that AI companies and datacenters will actually cannibalize even more of the RAM market in the future. Like a lot more.
As reported by Electronic Times via PC Gamer, Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell explained some of the math behind how the company has landed at the prediction that the demand for memory will increase 625 times in the near future during a recent Bank of America-hosted event.
“As both per-accelerator memory capacity and system scale expand simultaneously in AI infrastructure, total memory demand is forming a structure where it increases roughly 625 times,” Dell said. “Expanding memory supply takes years, but current AI infrastructure demand is showing no signs of slowing. We are still in the early stages of technology adoption.”
As pointed out by PC Gamer, Dell and his company are likely using numbers based on the most memory-intensive Nvidia hardware out there, despite many server rack designs using less demanding tech. So if you crunch those numbers alongside Dell’s growth predictions for data centers, you end up with a memory increase of around 180 times greater than now.
That is a smaller number, sure, but considering how bad things are already as datacenters and AI companies eat up nearly all the memory and storage out there, the idea of that demand increasing at all is scary. Folks looking to buy cheaper consoles, computers, or gaming handhelds might want to find the best deal now, buy it, and be very careful with it so it doesn’t break anytime soon.
The ongoing RAM crisis has made it harder and harder for companies to secure the parts needed to build game consoles, computers, and other tech devices. One PC parts maker called 2026 the “most challenging year” in its history due to the shortage. Meanwhile, Valve is struggling to get what it needs to build its upcoming Steam Machine, and Steam Decks are harder to buy these days. And console makers are increasing prices on consoles that launched back in 2020. Even the family-friendly Nex Playground isn’t safe from the RAM crisis.
This is all largely thanks to AI hyperscalers and tech giants gobbling up PC parts to build datacenters. It’s become quite pricey and challenging for your average person to buy PC RAM, graphics cards, or even an SSD for a console. Even the prices on prebuilt PCs from companies like HP, Dell, and Asus will increase by 15 to 20 percent, according to PC World. And it seems like it won’t get better. At least all those nervous RAM resellers will be happy.