The RAM crisis shows no sign of stopping, as manufacturers continue to prioritize AI data centers over memory, resulting in an ongoing shortage. And Lenovo believes buyers should act fast before pricing and availability get worse.
With the RAM shortage expected to last until 2028 or beyond, as even manufacturer Micron believes, and with the shortages already making Nvidia put off releasing a gaming GPU for the first time in decades, it's clear the lack of available memory is causing a stir in the industry.
In light of this, Lenovo North America President, Ryan McCurdy, has spoken up about the supply chain with CRN, stating that buyers will find "the most attractive product pricing" right now.
Buy now, save later
“If the infrastructure is critical in the next three, six, 12 months, and the pricing sensitivity is high, then we get into a scenario where we’re acting quickly because essentially the current stock that is at our distributors and at our partners [has] some of the most attractive product pricing that will exist for the next six to 12 months,” McCurdy states. “So it’s really a bias for action if that infrastructure is critical and if the sensitivity is high.”
With RAM and the parts for products that use memory, whether that be phones, laptops, tablets or gaming consoles, being scooped up by companies large and small, pricing has already been on the rise.
But costs haven't reached their pinnacle point yet, with McCurdy warning it could be as little as six months before prices see an even higher spike. Right now, Lenovo's partners and even consumers are seeing the lowest prices around — but these aren't expected to last.
This backs up Intel's claim that laptop makers are sitting on 'about 9 to 12 months' of stock before price spikes, along with an Asus rep stating when the RAM crisis will affect costs. But it isn't just about pricing, as a Lenovo executive has also noted availability going fast.
Availability is getting scarce
According to an anonymous Lenovo executive speaking with CRN, despite the urge for company partners and distributors to buy now, supply for products, specifically servers in their case, are running out post-haste.
“If [customers are] ready [and] they know they want it, buy it as soon as you can because the pricing is one thing. The actual availability of the parts is the other. That’s what I’m more worried about,” the Lenovo executive states.
As an example, when this U.S. systems integrator tried getting GPU-accelerated servers from Dell, only for the products to be out of stock despite the deal being put in place.
The pricing is one thing. The actual availability of the parts is the other. That’s what I’m more worried about
Lenovo executive via CRN
"At the end of the day, they said, ‘Sorry, we’re sold out.’ We couldn’t even get the deal because the product’s not there anymore. It’s that fluid," the executive explained. This goes to show that while pricing for buyers is at its "most attractive," companies are already grabbing what they can before they disappear, and there's no sign when these products will be back.
It continues to become clear that were into for the long haul when it comes to the memory shortage, and we're still only seeing its affects ignite. If anything, it may even be worth checking out these DDR4 RAM kits to stay on top of the RAM crisis.
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