Tech Brew Ride Home · Monday, June 29, 2026
The ongoing memory chip crunch, driven by AI demand, is causing critical cost increases for electronics manufacturers, with some DRAM prices rising sevenfold. Analysts warn of an existential crisis for smaller companies unable to secure supply or absorb escalating costs.
“The memory crunch has turned existential for small electronics makers.”
“Mono's costs for 8 gigabytes of a type of DRAM from Micron shot up from $35 when he was first developing the product, to $300 today.”
“Nabila Popal, an analyst at IDC, described the current situation as an absolute existential crisis for companies such as smaller Android phone manufacturers or local players that are making devices below $100.”