Overview
- Micron told investors on Wednesday that it has already committed most of its 2027 output and expects demand to exceed supply in both 2027 and 2028, with customers paying much higher prices.
- Memory makers are shifting more wafer capacity to high‑bandwidth memory used by AI accelerators, and Samsung said HBM could consume roughly 30% of wafer capacity next year compared with about 20% today.
- Micron plans roughly $25 billion in near‑term capital spending and new fabs expected online around 2028, but the company says clean‑room builds and qualification mean added capacity will not immediately ease the shortage.
- Consumers and device makers are feeling the squeeze through higher smartphone, PC and console prices and by OEMs offering lower memory configurations or delaying upgrades.
- The tight market has produced record profits for chipmakers and drawn legal scrutiny, with a class‑action complaint alleging coordinated supply cuts and a long‑term demand case from 'physical AI' that could require hundreds of gigabytes per robot.