Phison CEO Pua Khein-Seng Forecasts a Dire RAM Shortage
The world could be staring at a severe shortage of Random Access Memory (RAM), warns Pua Khein-Seng, the CEO of Phison. Phison is one of the industry’s prominent manufacturers of controller chips for Solid State Drives (SSDs) and other flash memory devices. Khein-Seng has rapidly emerged as a key commentator on the potential severity of the looming RAM shortage.
Implications of the RAM Shortage
During a televised interview with Ningguan Chen of Taiwanese broadcaster Next TV, Khein-Seng predicted that companies may need to reduce their product lines in the second half of 2026. He further suggested that some businesses could even face mortality if they fail to source the necessary components. The interview was conducted entirely in Chinese, and its significant points were confirmed by friends of The Verge, who also provided a machine-translated summary.
It’s important to note that Khein-Seng was responding to the interviewer’s queries about potential company shutdowns or discontinued product lines. He asserted that such drastic outcomes could indeed happen if companies fail to secure sufficient RAM.
A Shift in Consumer Behaviour
The Phison CEO also anticipates a shift in consumer behavior, with more people opting to repair products when they malfunction, instead of discarding them. This change is expected to occur over the next few years as the RAM shortage intensifies.
The Impact of AI Data Centers on RAM Supply
A significant factor contributing to the potential RAM scarcity is the increased demand from AI data centers. These centers are consuming a vast majority of the world’s memory supply as part of a global buildout, causing an unprecedented imbalance between supply and demand. This situation has led to RAM prices tripling, quadrupling, or even sextupling over the past few months.
Notable companies like Nvidia might have to skip shipping a gaming GPU for the first time in 30 years due to the shortage. Even tech giant Apple could face difficulties in securing enough RAM, not to mention memory chips for SSDs, and other vital components.
The Future of the RAM Market
The RAM shortage could impact everything that computing touches in the coming years. Currently, three companies control 93 percent of the entire DRAM market. While these companies are building more facilities, they are cautious not to overproduce, prioritizing profits to avoid potential losses.
For a more detailed report on the potential impact of the RAM shortage, or “RAMageddon,” keep an eye out for the upcoming article on The Verge, even if you don’t typically buy memory sticks yourself.
For the original source, please click Here.
