Exceleram warns RAM shortage is escalating
The memory shortage that has plagued the technology sector is far from over, and industry insiders are warning that the crisis is still escalating. Despite some signs of recovery, the underlying supply constraints are tightening, posing significant challenges for hardware developers and manufacturers.
Steffen Eisenstein, VP of Product at Exceleram, has offered a sobering assessment of the current situation, noting that the recent boom in artificial intelligence has pushed memory inventories to their absolute limits. He suggests that securing DRAM has become significantly more difficult than ever, indicating that the market is only just beginning to face the full scope of the disruption.
The root of the current predicament began much earlier than many realized. Eisenstein points to the fourth quarter of 2025 as a turning point, recalling when DRAM prices sharply increased, setting an extreme precedent for the market. As partners recognized the looming shortage, demand surged, leading to depleted inventories while costs soared.
This environment has been particularly punishing for manufacturers. Even established players faced unprecedented difficulty in securing chips. In a telling move, major suppliers began reflecting these market shifts, with Micron officially withdrawing from the consumer RAM and SSD market in December 2025. Meanwhile, medium-sized companies struggled mightily to maintain profitability, as high RAM prices made cost calculations increasingly difficult, leading some to abandon the segment entirely.
By early 2026, the situation was widely acknowledged as a full-blown “memory crisis.” Exceleram and its partners found themselves grappling with empty inventories, elevated production costs, and collapsing demand. The pressure was so intense that operational decisions were severely affected; Eisenstein noted that the company even canceled its Computex booth because finding new resellers seemed unfeasible under the prevailing circumstances.
While demand saw a slight lift in the second and third quarters, the fundamental issues persisted. High prices meant that even as demand recovered slightly, competition remained fierce, squeezing margins far tighter than they appeared on the surface. The overarching message is that prices have become sticky, suggesting that the memory market is unlikely to see a swift return to cheaper rates.
The most pressing concern, according to industry leaders, is the deterioration of supply security itself. Eisenstein emphasized that the lack of reliable supply is now actively slowing down the development of new consumer hardware. This is the uncomfortable truth: the memory crisis is deepening, and the industry faces a long, costly journey to restore stable production capacity.
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