Representatives of SK Hynix, one of the world’s largest memory manufacturers, say the shortage on the market for system memory is likely to continue at least until 2028. The company’s forecast covers a prolonged imbalance between supply and demand that will affect the memory industry for several years.
SK Hynix specified that the warning applies primarily to DRAM. The company added that other memory types, such as HBM and SOCCAM, could see the crisis ease earlier than DRAM. The underlying problem, the manufacturer explained, is that new production capacity is being brought online too slowly to meet the rapid rise in demand over a relatively short period.
Prices for system memory began to climb sharply in mid‑2025, a development tied to manufacturers expanding capacity to serve artificial intelligence workloads. As a result, the cost of DDR5 modules more than doubled by the end of 2025. The surge reflects both increased demand from data centers and the long lead times required to build and equip new fabs and packaging lines.
Market analysts from TrendForce expect the upward pressure on prices to continue at least until mid‑2026, after which the market should at minimum see price stabilization. For consumers and enterprise buyers, that means elevated memory costs could persist for the foreseeable future, and only gradual capacity additions and shifting demand patterns are likely to bring relief.