Data centers will use up to 70% of memory in 2026: the shortage will affect other industries

For a significant period, analysts and the media have been reporting a shortage of SSDs, hard drives, and RAM. The primary reason for the issue is the increasing demand for AI. According to a new analytical study, data centers will use approximately 70% of all memory produced in the world this year. The situation is changing rapidly, and soon the shortage may also affect other industries that are not directly related to IT.

Consequences of growing demand for memory

The sharp increase in demand for memory is guaranteed to affect electronics consumers and hit the automotive industry. The Wall Street Journal compares the situation to COVID and significant delays in all processes.

Most household appliances and automotive products use fairly old types of memory, but RAM manufacturers have almost completely phased out the production of such chips. According to experts, all production capacity has already been sold out until 2028, so it will be simply impossible to obtain quotas from manufacturers.

RAM is used in almost all modern devices, such as game consoles, smart refrigerators, speakers, and televisions, so technology may become significantly more expensive. A sudden increase in the price of one component may even lead to production losses.

According to analysts' estimates, RAM can account for up to 30% of the cost of smartphones and 10% of the cost of electronics. Thus, smartphone sales may decline by 5% and PC sales by 9%.