Observed Signal · Jul 31, 2026 · Earnings Report · Source: techcrunch · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Samsung: RAM Shortage to Worsen Through 2027
Samsung warned on its Q2 earnings call that the global RAM shortage will likely intensify in 2027 and remain tight until at least 2028. The company, which produces roughly a third of the world’s memory chips, said frontier AI labs are sharing medium- to long-term demand forecasts to secure supply, enabling Samsung to prioritise customers that sign long-term contracts and plan multi-year capacity ramps. Higher memory demand has pushed chip prices up, lifting Samsung’s semiconductor sales while squeezing margins in its smartphone and TV units. The shortage has prompted device price increases from Samsung and Apple and may lead to higher GPU prices from Nvidia, as memory makers shift capacity toward AI data centers.
Samsung is a major memory supplier and its earnings-call guidance that shortages will worsen through 2027 and persist to 2028 affects AI infrastructure capacity, cloud/data center supply planning, device component costs, and downstream pricing across tech supply chains.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Samsung supplies roughly one third of the world’s memory chips.
- On its Q2 earnings call Samsung said the RAM shortage will likely intensify in 2027 and remain tight until at least 2028.
- Frontier AI labs are sharing medium- to long-term demand forecasts directly with Samsung to secure future memory supply.
- Higher memory prices drove Samsung’s semiconductor unit to an all-time high in Q2, while smartphone and TV profitability declined.
- Device makers (Samsung, Apple) have raised consumer prices and Nvidia is expected to raise consumer GPU prices by 20–30% amid the memory shortage.
Connected Companies & Entities
6 Entities mapped“The ongoing shortage of RAM chips is not only expected to persist into the next year, but will likely intensify in 2027, with tight supply c...”
“The memory shortage, informally dubbed “the RAMaggedon”, has also forced Apple, Samsung’s archrival, to raise the prices of its Macbooks, Ma...”
“Nvidia is expected to raise its consumer graphics card prices by 20% to 30%, which may further drive up prices of gaming devices, desktop co...”
“Marina Temkin is a venture capital and startups reporter at TechCrunch....”
“The article links to The Verge as a source for Samsung passing some of the increasing component costs on to consumers by raising Galaxy smar...”
“The article links to Polygon as a source regarding expectations that Nvidia will raise consumer graphics card prices....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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Samsung Warns Memory Crunch Will Worsen Into 2027
Samsung's memory division warned that surging demand and pre-orders are deepening a memory chip and storage shortage that could extend into 2027, constraining supply and raising costs for AI infrastructure buildouts. Executives from Samsung, Apple and Alphabet highlighted memory cost pressures during recent earnings calls; Meta has reportedly extended server lifecycles due to shortages. Wall Street sees the supply squeeze as a tailwind for chip and storage vendors — notably Micron, SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, Sandisk, Seagate and Western Digital — and analysts expect increased capital expenditure and memory-equipment demand as hyperscalers expand AI capacity. Analysts from Wolfe Research, Bernstein, Melius and JPMorgan cited elevated memory average selling prices, testing-equipment upside, and persistent supply-demand gaps as drivers for sector revenues and investor interest.
Samsung forecasts chip shortage through 2028
Samsung expects the global chip shortage to worsen into 2028, the head of its memory division said when presenting quarterly results. The semiconductor unit reported an operating profit of 89.2 trillion won (~€54 billion) in Q2, more than 250 times the same quarter in 2025, driven by AI demand. Samsung has signed long-term supply contracts with the five largest datacenter operators and is close to agreements with five more; these deals run at least five years, would cover 60–70% of capacity and include prepayments and price floors. Samsung's mobile division recorded a first-ever quarterly loss of 700 billion won. Samsung aims to increase HBM4 revenue more than threefold in Q3 and expects its Texas fab in Taylor to come online on schedule.
Micron CEO: RAM shortage could last years
Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra warned that the global memory (RAM) shortage could persist for years as artificial intelligence workloads — still in their early stages, he said — drive growing demand for larger and faster memory. Micron reported a record second-quarter revenue driven by AI demand, but Mehrotra cautioned production capacity cannot be increased quickly. Other major memory suppliers echoed the outlook: Samsung warned of significant supply constraints through at least 2028, while SK Hynix suggested effects could last until around 2030. The comments were reported in an interview and referenced by technology outlets; the article was published on 2026-05-05.
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