Framework has disclosed that it is going to increase memory prices soon, but the newer tags won't be as 'absurd' as those of Apple and Dell.
Memory Price Hike Is Affecting the Entire Supply Chain, As Manufacturers Prepare to Increase Product Prices
With DRAM shortages mounting, integrators ultimately have no choice but to raise memory prices to ensure that the inventory levels are sustained, as well as profit margins. We have seen several firms, such as Adata, Corsair, and G.Skill, among others, raise RAM module prices in response to DRAM supply constraints. It appears that manufacturers like Apple, Dell, and Lenovo are likely to follow suit. Framework Desktop, a popular firm known for building 'modular' computing products, has revealed that the firm will soon raise the price of upgrading memory in pre-configured systems, but the rise won't be as aggressive as others.
The company's response came in response to an original post on X by @VadimYuryev, where he showcased how upgrading memory from 16 GB to 32 GB in Dell's XPS 13 laptop now costs a whopping $550, which actually makes Apple's RAM upgrade options look more sensible in comparison. Of course, Dell is 'supercharging' customers in the name of memory shortages, since Framework claims that it is providing the same upgrade for $80, but it is important to note that Dell is a relatively massive vendor, which means that the firm needs to have a large inventory on board to sustain consumer demand.
If you think these prices are absurd, here's another example where Asgard is now offering a 192 GB DDR5 memory kit for a whopping $1,200, and a 256 GB one for the price of NVIDIA's RTX 5090, which shows that the situation has reached a 'dire' state. Of course, the price hike wave ultimately reaches up the supply chain, which means that firms like Apple, Lenovo, and others would be the last to respond. However, when they do, it will be evident that memory shortages have reached an 'unavoidable' point.
Based on current estimates, the situation is unlikely to improve significantly until the end of 2026. Despite firms like Samsung investing heavily in the production of general-purpose DRAM, most of the allocations will ultimately go to the AI sector.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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