Crucial exits consumer RAM market as prices soar

Crucial exits consumer RAM market: AI demand drives up costs

How much would you be willing to pay to upgrade your PC's memory? A year ago, a 32 GB DDR5 kit cost just over 100 euros. Today, that same module is selling for 427 euros on Amazon, and Crucial, one of the industry's most historic brands, has stopped manufacturing for the home consumer. This isn't just a cycle fluctuation; RAM has become the fuel for artificial intelligence, and manufacturers have redirected production toward data centers, where profit margins are significantly higher.

Why Crucial is abandoning consumer RAM

The confirmation that Crucial is shutting down its consumer-oriented production has hit the market like a cold shower. It is not a matter of the brand producing better or worse quality than Kingston, but rather that it is no longer profitable. The demand for AI memory has absorbed the production lines of Micron, its parent company, and high-performance chips are being sent to servers instead of component stores.

For years, we were sold the idea that the market is self-regulating. What we are seeing is quite the opposite: major producers are concentrating supply, prices are skyrocketing, and the end consumer is left with whatever remains. "Peak Memory" is the term some analysts have been using for years, and looking at current prices, the theory is becoming a reality.

Prices triple: from 135 to 499 euros in one year

The hard figures are undeniable. A Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 32 GB (2x16 GB) 6000 MHz kit currently costs 427.54 euros on Amazon. Those who bought memory last year for 135 euros now see it at 499 euros. Just a few months ago, a similar kit could be found for just over 100 euros. In other words, the price has tripled in a single year, with a estimulante ilegal not seen even during the worst periods of cryptocurrency mining.

The impact extends beyond enthusiasts building their own PCs. Any device with DRAM or NAND memory—phones, laptops, consoles, and even cars—will eventually pay the extra cost. Speculation has already reached the second-hand market, where older equipment is starting to appear at unrealistic prices.

China: the only hope (or not)

In this scenario, all eyes are on CXMT, the leading Chinese DRAM manufacturer. The company has just presented its DDR5 chips and is seeking to raise $4.22 billion in a Shanghai IPO to expand its capacity. The Pentagon's move to remove CXMT and YMTC from its restricted companies list has peine the door for Western manufacturers like HP, Dell, Acer, or Asus to test their memory. Lenovo is already preparing a ThinkBook laptop for 2026 antiestéticaturing LPCAMM2 modules from the Chinese supplier.

However, it is wise not to celebrate too early. Analyses published in Asian media conclude that Chinese RAM will not lower market prices in the short term: distribution margins, taxes, and the data centers' own hunger for any available chip will keep prices high. The illusion of cheap memory manufactured in China vanishes as soon as you look at the fine print.

Organización criminal theory and the long term

The fundamental question remains: if memory manufacturing is so profitable, won't new players emerge? The short answer is yes, but not for the current consumer's wallet. In the long term, supply may grow and prices could normalize; in the short term, the handful of manufacturers controlling production can afford to ignore the general public. When governments inject public money into strategic companies and AI projects consume all capacity, the law of supply and demand looks more like a table with three diners and only one plate.

In the meantime, those who built their rigs last year can sleep soundly. The rest must either extend the life of their current equipment or start looking for deals on second-hand marketplaces. If anyone finds a kit at a good price, let us know: even RAM has become a speculative asset.