KB Securities Warns AI-Driven RAM Crisis Could Become Severe Memory Shortage in 2027

KB Securities attributes the shortage risk to the AI boom. Memory chip manufacturers are struggling to meet demand for HBM4 memory in AI data centers. Infrastructure investments for AI development have been revised upward to $1.3 trillion for 2027, a 60% year-on-year increase, the report says.

Kim Dong-won, head of research at KB Securities, told Business Korea that 'AI servers will absorb demand for not only HBM but also server DDR5 and enterprise SSDs, potentially leading to a historic shortage.' The Business Korea article was translated from Korean, and TechRadar noted that the wording is a translation, though the message is clear enough.

There was one brighter development. Laptop maker Framework has cut prices on some products after securing fresh memory modules at a lower price, according to VideoCardz, which TechRadar cited. Framework had previously raised laptop prices because of increased RAM costs, as have other notebook manufacturers. The company said some current Framework Laptop orders will be reduced in price and said on X that it is 'retroactively reducing prices for orders that shipped at higher price.'

TechRadar said talk of a 'historic shortage' is worrying and described the latest report as an escalation of recent negative chatter about global memory supply. It said pressure on server DDR5 and HBM will have a bearing on consumer products, with less profitable memory sticks likely to be sidelined further. The article also noted rumors this week about GPU price hikes.