Memory boom-bust cycle booms again as Samsung reportedly jacks memory prices 60%

If you haven't noticed, DRAM memory has gotten a lot more expensive in recent weeks. 

Amid a shortage broadly attributed to a surge in demand for AI infrastructure, Reuters reports that memory giant Samsung has hiked prices 60 percent since September, citing two persons familiar with the matter.

Among the memory types affected are DDR5 memory modules used in almost all kinds of computing devices: smartphones, laptops, desktops, workstations, and servers. 

DDR5 isn't normally associated with AI accelerators. Those typically employ GDDR or HBM, which trade capacity for the higher bandwidth required for those workloads. However, the systems into which these accelerators are deployed do use DRR5 for the system memory to feed the CPU and to store intermediary data, like the key value caches used to prolong a model's short-term memory over extended periods.

The memory shortage has been a boon for Samsung, which trailed its ...