A new Bloomberg report on the consumer memory production capacity shortage, dubbed "RAMmageddon," highlights major repercussions for the entire technology industry and, potentially, for the timeline of upcoming gaming hardware.
The cause is the sharp increase in demand for HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) for servers dedicated to artificial intelligence. This rush on HBM production is contributing to a tangible shortage of DRAM for consumer products, an essential component found in a wide range of devices, from laptops and smartphones to televisions, PCs, and game consoles. Apple, Tesla, and many other companies have already warned that this strain on memory supply will put a strain on their production capacities. In this context, the specialized press claims, citing its sources, that Sony Group Corp is now considering postponing the launch of its next PlayStation console to 2028, or even 2029 (this was already suspected last January, see PS6, delayed to 2030?). Faster, more expensive consoles? This is no longer possible. The same Bloomberg article also suggests that Nintendo is considering raising the price of the Switch 2 later this year. However, this hypothesis should be qualified: earlier this month, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa indicated that there were no plans for a price increase at this stage, while specifying that the company would continue to assess the market situation and adapt its strategy if necessary. And while in the past Sony could have afforded to release the console on schedule by selling it at a much higher price, this is no longer possible today, as manufacturers must offer more competitive prices. The reason is a saturated console market and aggressive competition from "free-to-play" models, particularly popular on devices like smartphones.
AI is changing the game ££££
After discussions with several industry experts, one conclusion is inescapable: the RAM shortage is not expected to ease in the short term. In December, industry sources relayed by PC Gamer were already suggesting that the crisis could last until 2028, or even beyond.
As a direct consequence, DDR5 RAM modules for PCs are now selling for three to four times the price they were six months ago, to the point that some kits can now cost more than a complete game console. In this context, the prospect of an impact on launch schedules, particularly for consoles, is becoming less and less theoretical.
While artificial intelligence may not yet control the world, it already influences very concrete industrial decisions, to the point of confronting markets with a new reality: the competition for material resources now de facto pits consumer uses against AI infrastructures.