RAM

We thought that the Chinese RAM manufacturers came to relieve the market. Turns out they’re playing the same game as everyone else.

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When the market is shared by a few, you can’t expect popular prices. The RAM memory segment is dominated by three manufacturers (Micron, SK Hynix and Samsung) and, with most of its production focused on the AI ​​market, the consumer segment is in deep water. In a scenario in which there are simply no chips, the Chinese RAM memory companies seemed like a ball of oxygen. The reality seems somewhat different. Hunting in China. Giants like Asus, Lenovo or Apple have been around for some time knocking on the doors of Chinese companies of RAM memory. Although traditionally it was the two South Korean companies (Samsung and SK Hynix) and the American Micron that supplied RAM to both manufacturers and assemblers, with the current component crisis those companies have been left orphaned and have had to look to the Chinese market. CXMT and YMTC (which is the counterpart of flash memory) are the two proper names of Chinese RAM and in recent years they have been making advances to catch up with consumer chips. There are those who believe that they are not suitable for high-end products, but when the need arises, expectations relax. That is why both have consolidated as a juicy element to alleviate the marketbut it turns out that they did not come to solve the global crisis, but to play the same game as the big ones. Bargaining power. As demand increased, both YMTC and CXMT have started selling their products at premium prices. It is that market that regulates itself, one in which everyone is in the same boat and, if they can sell their products at a higher price, they see no need to do so at a lower one (especially when we are seeing stratospheric financial results in this situation). But the most curious thing is that they are selling the most expensive things… to their own business partners. According to ReutersCXMT has been raising Huawei’s RAM prices for months. Huawei is competing against Nvidia both in the local and global markets, showing its equipment specially designed for a period in which AI inference seems like the next step of this technology, and as pointed out in Reuters, when Huawei asked for a relief in prices, CXMT did not give in. In fact, they point out that a power struggle is taking place with negative consequences for Huawei, since CXMT has been ordering its engineers to leave clean rooms in which they collaborated with partners of the Chinese giant, such as SiCarrier. In fact, it has also been recently commented that Huawei has begun to move to create your own DRAM factory. The one who warns… It is an interesting twist when it was assumed that Chinese manufacturers would arrive to alleviate the situation, competing with aggressive discounts below the prices of the three that control the market thanks to a growth produced, in part, through government subsidies. By competing with prices below those of the market they would be able to get a juicy piece of the pie among consumer brands, but as we have repeatedly said when we talked about itIn the end what rules is… money. Whenever it has been reported that someone opened a new plant or that a new research movement was being carried out in NAND chips, we already commented that the product would not be intended to alleviate the situation worldwide in the consumer segment, but for what is most profitable for the manufacturers of these chips: the AI ​​segment. Seeing the record profits of companies like SK Hynix or Samsung, it was naive to think that a company would enter this sector to alleviate the burden of consumer products. USA with the magnifying glass. Thus, CXMT has become the fourth largest manufacturer of memory worldwide, including the memory that goes into mobile phones and servers for AI, which is giving it brutal bargaining power, enough to put the brakes on a Huawei that has full government trust to become one of the technological engines of the country. However, there is a conflict of interest because Huawei is interested in its hardwarebut where China is also competing globally is in AI, and CXMT has just signed two very juicy agreements in this area. one with ByteDance for more than 7 billion dollars and another with Tencent for more than 3 billion dollars. Both to supply DRAM chips for data center servers for artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, the United States is seeing a new problem being born, as both CXMT and YMTC have started to get your attention. YMTC is listed in the ‘EntityList‘ American and Micron is seeing its business in jeopardy, urging Congress to impose stricter controls on CXMT. Interestingly, Apple is advocating the opposite as it desperately needs RAM and CXMT seems like the ideal candidate. Prepared for the worst. In any case, and as we have said on several occasions, any movement in this direction by the RAM majors will be aimed at producing more chips for hyperscalers. It’s a gigantic market right now that doesn’t seem to have an end or relief in sight. Samsung has achieved a quarter even better than Nvidia and since SK Hynix has issued a clear warning“Next year will be the worst in the history of the semiconductor industry.” Translation: buy now what you think you will need because there is nothing to indicate that the situation will relax in the short term. And when it happens, there are already manufacturers like Lenovo who point out that prices they will never return to the pre-crisis situation… In Xataka | There is a company that has grown 3,000% in the stock market, even beating the performance of Nvidia: Sandisk

“Is buying an M5 MacBook Air with more RAM worth the effort?”

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When buying a new computer, RAM is one of the most important features you should look at. But of course, buying a computer model with more RAM also means spending a little more, and we don’t always know if it is worth it for the use we want to give it. One of our readers asked us about this brand, taking advantage of The Officeone of the advantages of Xataka Xtraour subscription to access exclusive newsletters, raffles, promotions and other exclusive advantages. In this case, what we offer is a direct line with us to resolve questions like this. The xatakero asked If it is worth the effort to buy a MaxBook Air M5 with more RAM. He explains to us that he is studying a master’s degree in AI, and would like to be able to make the most of this technology, although always at the user level. And that’s why he’s worried about RAM, not because it’s going wrong with the 16GB base model, but because he wants to have a future-proof Air. The question “I would like some advice. I’m going to buy the new MacBook Air M5 and I’m wondering if 24 GB of RAM is worth the effort. I’m currently pursuing a master’s degree in AI and I would like to get into this, but always at the user level. I also have a 16 GB MacMini M4 and it runs smoothly. But I think about how it can get old with this AI thing, and 24GB sounds pretty good.” The answer Unlike Windows, which is an operating system that must work on all types of computers from all types of manufacturers, macOS is designed only for those manufactured by Apple. This makes it more optimized, and the RAM and hardware needs in general are different. Pedro Aznar, director of Applesfera and Apple specialist, responded to this question. The answer was the following: “Hello! I would recommend you go up to that 24 GB of RAM. The reason is that, although you mention that you will only use it at the user level, the AI ​​is going to advance a lot at the local level, and it is almost certain that you will need that extra memory to load LLMs on your Mac. Therefore, it is a good idea to anticipate that future and buy the MacBook Air M5 with that amount now. By the way, the MacBook Air M5 is a great choice for AI, as the per-core AI accelerators are much better than the previous generation for those tasks. Enjoy it!” Do you have more questions like this? The subscribers of Xataka Xtra You can send us your questions and our team will respond personally. And if you are already a subscriber, remember this advantage and that you can ask us whenever you want.

Apple is knocking on Chinese doors looking for RAM. According to the Bank of America, it is pure theater

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Apple is in the same adventure as the rest of the companies that sell consumer technology: the adventure of getting RAM memory. Although during the beginning of the RAM and storage crisis it seemed that Apple was the only one that could endure the blows, reality ended up hittingdemonstrating that if they had not raised prices it was because they had plenty of stock in advance. When that stock disappeared, we saw reality: model withdrawals, price increases and, more recently, new price increases with a whopping 20% ​​more on iPad and Mac. The problem for those from Cupertino is that the key moment of the year is approaching: the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and the rumored foldable iPhone, and there the price is going to be crucial. That’s why they find themselves looking for RAM and storage even under the rocks, with China being the market in which they have put the magnifying glass to see if memory from manufacturers like CXMT can fit your products. But of course, there is a problem: the United States and, above all, the Bank of America, which says that All this about Apple looking for RAM in China is a little theater. Teatrillo to get better prices A few days ago we said that Apple was knocking on doors. If Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron don’t open because they are so busy neglecting the consumer segment in favor of AI, then we have to ring new bells. With the cushion on the latest and new key products on the starting grid, Apple’s escape route seems to have a name: CXMT. ChangXin Memory Technologies is a Chinese DRAM manufacturer founded in 2016 that, since then, has been polishing its product lines, making significant advances to catch up with its large South Korean competitors in different DRAM models and technologies. That said, it is estimated that Apple is striving to bring positions closer together with CXMT to ensure supply, but this has caused Bank of America to raise an eyebrow. And even worse: CXMT is on a certain list of the US Department of Commerce. In a recent report, Bank of America analyzes the market situation, exposing that there are misconceptions about the memory chip sector and stopping, curiously, at Apple’s intention to approach the Chinese manufacturer. The bank sees positive the continuous and massive spending of Big Tech to make data centers, but when it comes to buying memory from China, they are not so positive. According to the bank, Apple’s recent efforts are just a movement, a little theater, to gain bargaining power against the usual suppliers. This makes sense. Apple is no longer Nvidia, but it is still a very big fish in the consumer sector and buys a huge amount of components from different manufacturers. If Apple reached an agreement with CXMT, it would have an impact on the accounts of suppliers such as Samsung or SK Hynix. Because in the end, that’s what this is all about: that the big fish has much more decision-making and negotiating power than the small one. When Valve wants to do its Steam Machine, You should accept what they offer you. at the price they offer it and without question, but Apple is, in the field of hardware, much more important than Valve and would have some negotiating power. For Bank of America, it’s all about that strategy because they believe that the memory that the Chinese can create is, currently, valid only for more modest deviceslike a hypothetical iPhone 18e, not for the top of the range like the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPads with M processors or, above all, the Macs. And more important than the institution’s analysis is the fact that CXMT appears on the Pentagon’s blacklist of Chinese Military Companies. According to the Financial Times, Apple has been pressing to the Government to being able to buy memory from CXMT without consequencesbut if tomorrow, for whatever reason, the Chinese company enters the other Pentagon blacklist (in which American companies are prohibited from trading), Apple would be in serious trouble. In the end, no matter what happens, what is certain is that we, the users, will be the ones we end up paying the consequences. And products like the aforementioned Steam Machine, but also what is projected PS6low-end mobile phones, Raspberry Pi, nintendo switch 2 either the new xbox They are examples of what we can expect: prices -very- rising. Image | Laurenz Heymann (edited) In Xataka | In 2007, Steve Jobs went on stage with an iPhone that barely worked: he was saved by a script that did not allow even a detour

Buying cheap RAM seemed like a matter of waiting. Lenovo just dismantled that hope

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Buying memory seemed, until not so long ago, a question of patience. If prices rose, many users and companies could wait a while before expanding a computer, renewing storage or closing a large server purchase. The idea was simple: endure the blow, watch the market and hope that the pressure would go down. But that hope begins to collide with a different reality, because memory no longer only powers our computers: it also supports a growing part of the infrastructure that drives AI. The latest news comes to us from ISC 2026in Hamburg, one of those events where the debate on servers and infrastructure allows us to see where the market is moving rather than in domestic consumption. According to ComputerBaseLenovo showed there a slide titled “Five-step survival guide for RAMageddon” and accompanied the idea with a phrase that summarizes the change in tone well: “It will never be like last yearThe aforementioned media clarifies that this “never” should not be read completely literally, but the warning is still relevant: trusting in a quick return to the levels of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 may be too optimistic. ComputerBase may not be a well-known outlet outside of Germany, but its coverage of ISC 2026 has been replicated by specialized publications like Tom’s Hardware and TweakTown. In the latter’s information, Martin Hiegl, a Lenovo executive linked to Enterprise AI & HPC, is identified as the author of the statements. Before the event, Hiegl announced on LinkedIn that he would participate again in the “Vendor Showdown” session with the theme “RAMageddon”. The problem is not just that the RAM is expensive In its presentation, Lenovo is not just talking about a temporary tension, but about a change in the economics of DRAM and NAND. The company maintains that even when new relevant manufacturing capacity begins to be noticed, something that it places from 2028, a good part of that additional production could be absorbed by AI infrastructure. In other words: more memory being manufactured does not necessarily mean that we will return to the low prices of 2024 and early 2025. The industry is also moving in that direction. Tom’s Hardware points to SK hynix’s plans to triple its memory production capacity by 2034 as a background signal: if manufacturers were expecting a quick return to minimal margins and oversupply, they would hardly accelerate investments of that magnitude. Lenovo’s reading is that the incentive has changed. With sustained demand for AI and increased pressure on DRAM, NAND and HBM, expanding factories may ease the market, but not automatically rebuild the cheap scenario that many buyers remember. Now, the Chinese manufacturer is not alone in this diagnosis. As we pointed out days agoMicron recently told its investors that it expects limited supply until at least 2027, with a gradual improvement starting in 2028. SK hynix has also warned that shortages could last until around 2030 whether the AI ​​infrastructure continues to absorb wafer capacity. These are forecasts that should be read with caution, because they come from companies that benefit from high prices, but they also show that the sector is planning as if the pressure is not going to disappear anytime soon. The consumer also remains within the chain. It is no secret that “RAMageddon”, as Lenovo called it, is reaching PCs, mobile phones, consoles and SSDs, precisely the products where we usually notice first if an increase in components reaches the final price. There are the Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and 5 Pro and more expensive Nintendo Switch 2. Also mobile phones that come at higher prices and computers like Macs being harder to reach. Does that mean we should take Lenovo’s scenario for granted? Not necessarily. No one can predict with certainty how the market will evolve.. His analysis carries weight because it comes from one of the largest computer manufacturers in the world, but even in a sector like this, forecasts can fall short… or not be met. The most reasonable reading is another: if Lenovo is right, memory is no longer that component that we could postpone almost by inertia until we find a better offer. In a market where AI competes for DRAM, NAND and HBM, waiting is still an option, but no longer a guarantee. Images | Xataka with Nano Banana In Xataka | Memory experts see no relief: “Potential price increases are higher than expected due to shortages”

Valve blames RAM manufacturers for Steam Machine price

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The current technological and video game news is marked this week by two very clear things: ‘GTA VI‘ on the one hand, Steam Machine on the other. Both have something in common: controversy over the price. In the case of the Rockstar game because the 80 euro edition feels cut. In the case of the Valve machine because the price of 1,039 euros seems very inflated. And we don’t know if Rockstar had a gun to its head to set that price, but we do know that Valve had no option with the Steam Machine. Basically, it was an offer they couldn’t refuse. The situation is what it is. We have already spoken at length about the different editions of a Steam Machine that has hardware that is not cutting edge, far from it, and that comes with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage for 1,039 euros. If you want 2 TB of SSD, you have to spend 1,359 euros. The control, in both configurations, is separate. And the problem is that Valve has found itself launching a machine at the worst possible time, one in which the consumer components segment is destroyed because everything goes to the gluttonous AI industry. The problem is that they had to release the announced machine no matter what (they announced it in November), so they had no other options. Almost…literally. Questionable tactics. It’s no secret that Valve has found itself in deep water with the Steam Machine. A few weeks ago they asked (half jokingly, half seriously) help getting RAMwhich confirmed an open secret: if the machine was lagging, and if it was going to be very expensive, it was because of the RAM and the SSD. Gamer Nexus is one of the best hardware analysts on YouTube and his video about the system is all you need to see if you’re interested in this product, but it’s also interesting for one reason: Valve has done what it can. Or what they have left him. How they collect in Kotakuin a moment of the analysis comments on this matter, stating that Valve confessed to him that they had not been able to obtain any juicy contract with any RAM/SSD seller. The Valve employee’s phrase is devastating: “Look, there are no contracts. There is nothing. These guys are… they give us a price every month and then they say ‘you can buy this amount’ and it’s a yes or a no. And if we say no, they never talk to us again.” It makes sense. Because of that huge limitation, the Steam Machine being sent for review has a single 16GB DDR5 RAM module, but the motherboard actually has capacity for a second module, so it’s easy to imagine future Steam Machines with two 8GB sticks instead of one 16GB because that’s basically what they can access. And the saddest thing about it is that it makes sense. Valve is the king of video games on PC, it has its great gaming platform in Steam with benefits and power like no other player in the sector. However, in the world of hardware, Valve is a nobody. You are not going to make huge or constant orders with the deck or the Machine, so no manufacturer is going to associate with them to “price them” and be able to have a cheaper machine on the market. In the end, and in a much clearer summary, Valve is not Apple, it is not Samsung, it is not a company that is going to put millions of devices on the street and that, therefore, has room to negotiate better prices and payment conditions. In fact, even those giants are having problems. and what remains. This whole situation with the Steam Machine is a bummer, whether you were interested in the machine or not. It is something that reflects the first actions of more than a decade ago were a monumental fiascobut with the success of the Steam Deck, now they have wanted to take the bull by the horns and be the ones to launch the Steam Machine, but they have been caught out by this whole situation. In fact, they have already hinted that they were planning to launch it between 800 and 900 euros. In recent conversations they have pointed out that if we look at the price increase that Steam Deck has sufferedthat difference is what we should cut from the 1,039 euros to have an idea of ​​the price at which they wanted to sell it. It is no excuse, of course, in the end this is Valve’s problem, but the reality is very different: we are the users who are having to face more expensive technology and those of us who cannot access computers (basic for many of us) at the prices that existed before the NAND chip market exploded. Oh well, we have to continue creating slopewhich is the important thing. In Xataka | The runaway price of RAM threatens more expensive phones than ever. And that’s not even the biggest problem

With Prime Day the RAM crisis hurts a little less, thanks to these offers on memories, graphics cards and laptops

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Buy hardware, especially anything related to RAM memory or the SSDit has been very complicated and expensive for weeks. The rise of AI The domestic PC component market has suffered (a lot) and devices in general, making everything enormously expensive. And as a result, this is one of the worst times we remember to renew equipment. However, sales campaigns such as Amazon Prime Day They help to weather the storm of surcharges a little, thanks to some bargains that, although they are not as succulent as they were in past editions, are ideal for saving us a pinch. In this sense, the Prime Day 2026 It will be available until late Friday the 26th and, until then, we can take advantage These discounts on laptops, SSDs, RAM and graphics cards. Crucial P310 PS5 SSD 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 with Heatsink The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Yes indeed, These are exclusive offers for Prime members. Although, if we are not, we can take advantage of the 30 day free trial for new registrations and thus access these discounts, in addition to enjoying shorter and free delivery times, the catalog of Prime Video series and movies and much more. Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 Gen 10 with 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD per 749 eurosa laptop with an excellent quality-price ratio NVIDIA RTX 5070 12GB GDDR7 graphics card by 579.90 eurosideal for gaming at 1440p for years Crucial P310 2TB SSD with heat sink 234.99 eurosone of the few interesting offers in storage Asus TUF A18 by 1,199 eurosgaming laptop with 16 GB of RAM and the RTX 5070 to play, work or any demanding task. RAM Corsair Vengeance RGB 32 GB DDR5 by 389.99 eurosnot at the ideal price but very good in the current context Amazon Prime – 30 days free trial The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 Gen 10 Take a full team with us 749 euros with 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSDin the middle of 2026, is not easy, but this Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 Gen 10 discounted on Prime Day makes it possible. In addition to that great memory configuration, this Lenovo contains an Intel Core i7-13620H with integrated graphics, a 16-inch 1200p screen and even Windows 11 Home. Overall, a balanced laptop perfect for studying or working. Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 Gen 10 The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Windforce OC The hardware crisis is not affecting components such as processors or graphics cards equally, but it is still interesting to see a good offer on a next-generation GPU. In this case, we can take the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Windforce OC by 579.90 euros. A graphics card with 12 GB of GDDR7 VRAM memory, overclockthree fans and several DisplayPort and HDMI ports to connect multiple monitors. Perfect for playing at more than 60 FPS in 1440p thanks to its compatibility with the most recent versions of DLSS. GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5070 WINDFORCE OC The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Crucial P310 2TB As we say, brand new SSD It is not simple or cheap in 2026. But this Crucial P310, without having a historical discount, does have a very good price in these times. Now on offer for 234.99 eurosoffers 2 TB of capacity and speeds around 7,000 MB/s. It is a NVMe M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 SSD and is compatible with laptop motherboards, desktop PCs and even PS5. Additionally, it comes with a heat sink that helps it maintain better temperatures at full performance. Crucial P310 PS5 SSD 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 with Heatsink The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Asus TUF A18 The gaming hardware sector is especially suffering from the component crisis, especially when we move into the field of desktop PCs. custom. However, in already assembled equipment and in laptops We continue to find great purchase options at great prices in mid-2026. This Asus TUF A18 is a good example: a gaming laptop discounted to 1,199 euros which has RTX 5070, Ryzen 7 260, 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD. In addition to a giant 18-inch screen at 1200p and 144 Hz. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB DDR5 With the RAM memorywe click on the bone. When it comes to this component, today it is really difficult to find a normal price, let alone a good offer. If we can wait, the smart purchase involves leaving room for the market to stabilize and not paying an arm and a leg. However, if we need two RAM modules right now, these 16 GB (which make a total of 32 GB) DDR5 at 5,200 MHz by 389.99 euros They are an option to take into account. Compatible with Intel and AMD motherboards, they even come with RGB. CORSAIR Vengeance RGB RS DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Lenovo, Gigabyte, NVIDIA, Crucial, Asus, Corsair In Xataka | Best mice in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and seven recommended models In Xataka | Best laptops in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and eight recommended models

The Raspberry Pi 5 are so expensive that buying two with 16 GB of RAM costs the same as a MacBook Neo

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If today you decide to buy a Raspberry Pi 5 with 16 GB of RAM, we have bad news: its price in the Adafruit store is 350 dollars. In Spanish stores like Raspipc.es the price with VAT is 313.03 euros. It is an absolutely absurd price for a miniPC with these characteristics, but the memory crisis has made us live in a world of crazy prices and absolutely strange situations. For example, what we propose here: For the price of two Raspberry Pi 5 with 16 GB of RAM you can buy a MacBook Neo. Or almost. In Spain, the price of the MacBook Neo is 699 euros. In the US it is $599 without taxes, so that comparison certainly holds true there, because although it depends on the state in which you buy it, the final price is around $650. Less than two of those Adafruit Raspberry Pi 5s cost. What is happening is amazing but very real: Raspberry Pi 5 are really striking miniPCs that anyone can use even as a desktop PC and offer surprising possibilities. But in the comparison with the MacBook Neo (or even with 700 euro Windows laptops) they lose by a landslide. And in the MacBook Neo we have a much more “rounded” laptop as a product for the vast majority of users. Not only because it has a laptop with an enviable construction with its screen, keyboard and trackpad. It is true that the unified memory is 8 GB (the RPi 5 with 8 GB costs $200), but we are looking at a much more capable computer in terms of performance. Source: GeekBench. In GeekBench 6 the 16 GB RPi 5 gets 899 points in single-core and 2,144 points in multi-core. The Apple A18 Pro from the MacBook Neo gets 3,566 points in single-core and 8,646 in multi-core: It is four times more powerful in this synthetic benchmark. It’s all a reality check. What happened to the $25 computer promise? Just two months ago Eben Upton, creator of the Raspberry Pi, announced the launch of a new Raspberry Pi 4 with 3 GB of RAM. Under other circumstances this launch would have been strange, especially considering that the Raspberry Pi 5 is available for almost two years and the original Raspberry Pi 4 were launched, attention, in 2019. Pre-pandemic. That announcement, however, made a lot of sense because the memory crisis has caused the prices of all types of devices to increase extraordinary. Upton himself revealed that the price of the LPDDR4 RAM memory modules used in the Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 had multiplied by seven. Hence the launch of an “affordable” version that at the time had a price tag of $83.75. The rest of the Raspberry Pi models, however, were impacted by the memory crisis and the creator of these devices announced significant price increases for all of them. Everything has meant that the company has had to betray its original objective more than ever. That $25 computer that was going to conquer the world soon made it clear that it was going to do so, but with many sacrifices: its original performance was poor, and you actually had to spend more money to use it with a monitor, mouse and keyboard (in addition to the SD/microSD, the necessary cables and the power adapter). Over time we saw how the Raspberry Pi became a much more rounded and capable product both in its original version and in others such as the fantastic RPi 400/500. But in doing so inevitably the price also increased: in November 2022 we complained about the lack of stock and that its price It was no longer 35 euros like the original, but triple. The firm, however, has always tried to maintain that spirit with which it was born, and in August 2024 it launched its Raspberry Pi 5 with 2 GB for $50. Today this model can be found at about 70 euros in Spanish stores, but of course, those 2 GB are not enough for that price. The memory crisis has harmed the entire market, but it has hit especially hard with these small miniPCs. The Raspberry Pi cannot compete in price/performance with more complete devices, but They continue and will continue to be a fantastic alternative in educational environments and, of course, in the industrial field in which the RPi in its Compute Module format have managed to become in all a reference. In Xataka | Raspberry Pi has risen like a rocket in the stock market for a simple reason: to use AI you don’t need a machine

First he tied up Samsung, now SK Hynix. At the RAM crisis party, Nvidia has secured the cake

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In any group of friends, there is one person who always tries to get along with everyone. In the technology world, that person is Nvidia. The American giant that until not so long ago was the one who dominated the conversation in the field of video game hardware, now it is synonymous with artificial intelligence. Nvidia is shaping the sector with billion-dollar investmentsbut also with its hardware. The H200 and the Blackwell B200 are the most coveted chips in the sectorwhich leads to everyone wants that platform and, therefore, Nvidia is one of the whales that is drinking the global stock of RAM. For Vera Rubin, their new platform, they need much more memory and, after reaching an agreement to ensure the best available that Samsung makesthey have achieved another with the other leg of the global RAM market: SK Hynix. And this is about data centersbut also eye-catching RTX Spark chiprobotics, accelerating development times and how consumers have years left to continue suffering with the supply of chips. Nvidia, SK Hynix and the deal to manufacture everything Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, is traveling through Seoul. This time his objective was not to visit the new Samsung facilities (relations with Samsung They are already more than consolidated), but to secure the other South Korean (and world) memory chip giant: SK Hynix. During their visit, the two CEOs staged a multi-year agreement by which Nvidia will have priority access to the most refined memory coming out of the SK Hynix foundry. Because Nvidia already warned in January that this year it would need all the silicon possible, and seeing the roadmap it is something that is perfectly understood. As we say, they are immersed in the Vera Rubin AI platform for the training and inference of artificial intelligence models; have just presented the RTX Spark chips in response to Apple Silicon and Qualcomm chips for computers Windows ARM and then there’s another leg that we don’t talk about as much, but that they are pushing hard and that also requires a lot of memory chips: the Jetson Thor robotics platform. In it releasethe two state that this is an agreement to speed up development times on this hardware for AI. This is something that requires long development cycles, but also a lot of money to sustain the global demand for memory due to data centers for AI. This deal goes there. “AI factories are the drivers of the next industrial revolution, and advanced memory is essential to their performance” – Jensen Huang Because it is not so much about ensuring high bandwidth memory (something that Nvidia already had to be the great whale of the sector), but to improve the infrastructure so that the new generations arrive at the pace that the development of AI requires. In fact, Chey Tae-won, CEO of SK Group, highlights the same thing: “together we are co-developing the next generation of memory for AI factories, applying AI to semiconductor design and manufacturing.” That is to say, It is not a simple question of supply (which also, since 60-70% of SK Hynix’s HBM4 memory goes to Nvidia’s Vera Rubin), but to apply AI tools (which Nvidia has) for the design and manufacturing of semiconductors with the aforementioned objective of shortening times. This objective is something that is being pursued worldwide, and the company itself SK Hynix together with Samsung collaborate in a megacenter in the United States to streamline all these processes. As a result of this agreement, it is very possible that SK Hynix get its goal of setting up a fully autonomous semiconductor factory by 2030 (something that, again, share with Samsung). Now, what about the goal of those we want a RAM stick or one Steam Deck that doesn’t hit price increases of 300 euros at once? Well, unfortunately, we are going to continue eating this situation of debauchery when it comes to building AI platforms and gigantic data centers. During his visit, Huang himself commented that he expects the global shortage to last for years because the entire supply chain of this new industry depends on these chips and that demand is very high. In their wordsit is something that “will persist for several years”. They are not new statements either, since Huang gave about seven or eight years to the unbridled investment. And more important than all this, Nvidia, right now, has the four chip giants eating from his hand. SK Hynix and Samsung with memory and their factories for new generation memory. TSMC has turned Nvidia into your client A. And ASML that is what manufactures machines to make advanced chips It is the one that supplies those tools to the three mentioned. In Xataka | China already has a GPU that competes with Nvidia’s RTX 3060. The bad thing is that it arrives five years late and worse

The prices of RAM and SSDs are skyrocketing everywhere, but there are alternatives to avoid spending a fortune

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It’s no longer just that the price of RAM memory is through the roof (which also): that of SSDs has followed the same path. Upgrading a PC right now is complicated if you don’t want to spend a fortune trying, but there are alternatives to spend less. The AliExpress Summer Promo has very powerful offers (on mobile phones especially), but also in PC components: you have this 1 TB Netac SSD for 114.80 euros if you use the coupon ‘XATAKAES20‘and pay with PayPal. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Speaking of coupons, AliExpress has right now lots of assets to save on your purchases. We leave them here so that you have them on hand in case you want to make any additional purchases (remember that the coupons cannot be combined). Discount minimum purchase coupon 1 coupon 3 coupon 4 COUPON 3 euros 15 euros XATAKAES03 WEBEDES03 ESSS03 SSES03 6 euros 39 euros XATAKAES06 WEBEDES06 ESSS06 SSES6 10 euros 69 euros XATAKAES10 WEBEDES10 ESSS10 SSES10 20 euros 139 euros XATAKAES20 WEBEDES20 ESSS20 SSES20 30 euros 209 euros XATAKAES30 WEBEDES30 ESSS30 SSES30 45 euros 319 euros XATAKAES45 WEBEDES45 ESSS45 SSES45 65 euros 459 euros XATAKAES65 WEBEDES65 ESSS65 SSES65 110 euros 650 euros XATAKAES110 WEBEDES110 ESSS110 – Upgrading a PC without spending a fortune is still possible Is it a good price? Let’s analyze how the price of SSDs is currently with this one from the Forgeon brand as an example, similar in features. The lowest price for it, also with 1 TB capacity, was 61.95 euros last September. Since then it has done nothing but rise and right now it costs 189.95 euros (reduced from 234.99 euros). In that sense, it is clear that we are looking at a good price with this one from the Netac brand. It is about a NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD able to reach speeds of up to almost 7,400 MB/s read. Of course, a small note: it is necessary that your motherboard is compatible with it. If your board only has PCIe 3.0 connectors, you can also use it, although it will not take full advantage of all its speed. The SSD is sold by the brand itself through AliExpress and shipping is free (delivery is estimated between June 7 and 15). It should also be noted that it is an SSD also compatible with PlayStation 5. DDR4 RAM can still be an interesting solution What if what you need is RAM memory? DDR5 RAM has very inflated prices, but we can find DDR4 RAM at good prices, which remains an interesting option for many usersespecially if your processor and motherboard are a few years old and you don’t want to change them. This Netac RAM memory can do you very well there: two modules of 8 GB of RAM each come out 75.45 euros with the coupon ‘XATAKAES10‘. DDR4 Netac RAM memory at 3,200 MHz (2 modules of 8 GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links As we say, they are two separate modules, so we will have a total of 16 GB of RAM in total. If we take a look at PcComponentes and look for something similar, it is difficult to find the same amount of memory with similar characteristics below 120 euros. Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Andrey MatveevAliExpress In Xataka | DDR4 or DDR5? What RAM to choose so as not to pay even more than necessary in the middle of the price crisis In Xataka | Faster (and more expensive) is not always better: the big difference between buying an SSD and an HDD for backups

The manufacturers promised them happy with “Ultra” phones up to the top of specs. The RAM crisis has other plans for them

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Being an Ultra is not usually the best, unless you are a mobile phone. For years, manufacturers have been throwing darts at each other, launching models designed by and to demonstrate muscle. There was a manufacturer who threw the first stone, and the rest began to follow him. Today, with the component crisis that AI is causing, are in danger. The beginning of everything. The first “Ultra” mobile phone on the market was the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. The company did a fairly marketing exercise: 108 megapixel camera, 100x zoom… everything in a big way. Was it the best Galaxy to date? Yes. Was it a strategy to set a new industry standard through an even more striking surname? Also. China wakes up. China was quick to react to Samsung’s message. Xiaomi responded with the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultraa phone that debuted 120W fast charging (absolute nonsense a few years ago), 120x zoom to surpass Samsung, and even a transparent finish to show off its hardware. It was the first Chinese mobile phone to fully enter the war: “we are going to put absolutely everything we can into a mobile phone, whether it is useful or not.” And from then on, the party began. Raised to the absurd. The war to launch increasingly powerful Ultra models is beginning to move away from its original objective. Samsung launched a first model with oversized specs, but with a certain commercial purpose. Manufacturers like Vivo launch phones like the 300Ultra They are sold directly in a kit that makes their price practically unattainable, and some of the direct rivals of Samsung and Apple surpass Western brands in price. Chinese manufacturers do not want to sell them, they want to continue demonstrating technological leadership. in check. As pointed out Ice Universethe flagship Ultra is in danger, and some of the big Chinese brands are considering pausing this product line. The Chinese Ultra is not born to sell in volume, and the Pro models or series number (Xiaomi 17simply) are those who are born to sell, even in China. The increase in costs of components such as internal memory or RAM makes launching Ultra models even more complicated, unless the manufacturer wants to raise the price to the absurd. Yes, but. Despite Ice’s predictions, it seems unlikely that the RAM crisis could completely knock down the Ultra models. Manufacturers have been betting for years on a strategy that allows them to reduce costs and continue advancing in their product line: launching exactly the same mobile year after year, but with some additional touches. This allows you to contain costs, recycle parts and reduce R&D spending, while maintaining memory configurations that cannot be reversed. Be that as it may, it seems inevitable that the RAM crisis will completely affect the mobile market, and that in 2027 we will see progress in dribs and drabs. In Xataka | The best mobile phones (2026), we have tested them and here are their analyzes

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