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OpenAI crashed the global memory supply
How OpenAI sent memory chip prices soaring, and how it may impact the wider tech sector and consumers
The AI boom and the rush to build AI infrastructure have pushed the prices of computer hardware sharply upward. GPUs were already expensive, and now, thanks in large part to OpenAI, memory is becoming expensive too. OpenAI’s massive wafer deal with Samsung and SK hynix has effectively crashed the global DRAM market, triggering shortages that are rippling through the tech industry and pushing prices higher for everyone.
Why memory prices are exploding
At the beginning of October 2025, OpenAI announced a new partnership with Samsung and SK hynix, the two largest memory suppliers. The partnership, part of OpenAI’s Stargate initiative, will see OpenAI securing 900,000 DRAM wafers per month, or 40% of global DRAM output.
What made the situation so destabilising for the industry wasn’t just the scale of the deal, but how suddenly it landed. According to industry reporting, including insider accounts shared by Moore’s Law Is Dead, Samsung and SK hynix themselves allegedly did not know the scale or timing of each other’s agreements until the day they were announced. The industry effectively woke up to find that almost…
