AI is reshaping more than software — it&#x27;s putting intense pressure on the global semiconductor supply chain. In this special cross-post from Data &amp; Dimensions, The Decisive brings you a timely conversation on how surging demand for AI infrastructure is driving a shortage of DRAM memory, raising costs across consumer technology, and forcing companies to rethink production, pricing, and inventory strategy. Host Neil Barbour speaks with Chris Rogers, Head of Supply Chain Research at S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence, about the &quot;DRAMageddon&quot; unfolding across markets — from AI data centers and gaming hardware to smartphones, VR headsets, consoles, tariffs, and global trade. Key takeaways include: How AI accelerators are absorbing semiconductor capacity and pushing DRAM prices higher Why consumer electronics — including smartphones, VR headsets, and gaming consoles — are facing rising memory costs and supply constraints What the DRAM shortage means for the gaming market ahead of major launches like Grand Theft Auto VI How companies are shifting hardware production from mainland China to Vietnam amid tariff uncertainty Why inflation, component shortages, and macroeconomic pressures could delay the next generation of consoles until 2028 What today&#x27;s memory squeeze reveals about the broader intersection of AI, supply chains, global trade, and technology strategy For listeners of The Decisive, this episode offers a sharp look at how disruption moves through industries in real time — turning a technical bottleneck in semiconductor memory into a wider story about pricing power, production strategy, and the future of consumer technology. More S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence Content: Electronics Supply Chain Outlook The Decisive | Season 6 Ep.2 - How Supply Constraints Are Defining Electronics Pricing Video game profitability tracker: Positive, if precarious, margin trends in 2025 For S&amp;P Global subscribers (login required): Parallel processes: Rising component costs bifurcate sector, limit PC manufacturing volumes More than war: Q2 2026 corporate supply chain strategy outlook Credits: Hosts: Neil Barbour Guest: Chris Rogers Produced By: Neil Barbour, Kristen Hallam Edited By: Neil Barbour, Marz Marcello Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun

DRAMageddon: What AI Demand Means for Gaming Hardware Supply Chains

The Decisive Podcast: Insights and analysis to empower confident decision-making.

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**Podcast:** The Decisive Podcast: Insights and analysis to empower confident decision-making.

## Transcript

You're listening to The Decisive Podcast, insights and analysis to empower confident decision-making. Hello, and welcome to The Decisive. I'm your usual host, Kristen Hallam. In today's episode, we're bringing you a conversation from our colleagues at the Data and Dimensions Podcast, one that taps directly into a theme we explore often on The Decisive, how disruption reshapes industries in real time. Data and Dimensions host

Neil Barber tackles this theme with Chris Rogers, Head of Supply Chain Research at S&P Global Market Intelligence. Together, they unpack the ripple effects of a rapidly tightening supply of semiconductor memory, driven in part by the surge in AI infrastructure. What starts as a technical constraint quickly becomes a broader story about pricing power, shifting production footprints, and the complex tradeoffs companies face as they navigate cost pressures, tariffs, and the

demand uncertainty. From gaming hardware to smartphones and beyond, this conversation offers a clear lens into how today's supply chain dynamics are cascading across sectors, and what that tells us about the next phase of global trade and technology. Let's join Neil and Chris now.

Welcome to Data and Dimensions, a podcast at the intersection of entertainment, industry, and interactivity. I'm Neil Barber, an analyst with S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan. And with me today is Chris Rogers, Head of Supply Chain Research at S&P Global Market Intelligence, to discuss DRAMageddon and its impact on gaming hardware. Chris, welcome to the show. Thanks for having me, Neil.

So, you know, put a little frame on it. Basically, the shortage of memory modules and computing devices, specifically DRAM, or Dynamic Random Access Memory. All the data centers being built right now to power artificial intelligence are kind of monopolizing these components, and that means there are fewer memory modules for consumer goods like laptops, mobile phones,

and yes, the one we care about gaming consoles, and gaming PCs. And that ends up driving the prices higher for those goods, potentially creating some shortages, which has the potential to really disrupt growth in the gaming market. So, we have an expert on supply chain. Chris, can you tell us when you first started seeing these shortages emerge in your data sets, and what did that look like?

I'd love to say we were sat there when ChatGPT came out and went, yeah, this is a problem for the future. But I think, like most people, we probably underestimated how quickly the challenge would emerge. When we look at the data, the key data points we track are the producer prices for semiconductors out of South Korea, and also South Korean export prices themselves.

So, in our data, we can see the export price per unit. And that started picking up in early 2024. It didn't necessarily go parabolic at that point....

DRAMageddon: What AI Demand Means for Gaming Hardware Supply Chains

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DRAMageddon: What AI Demand Means for Gaming Hardware Supply Chains

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are findingedge in conversations you're not hearing.

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.