'Just last week alone, we were notified that costs had risen by 50–100%': SSD maker Transcend further tightens its belt amid delayed Samsung and Sandisk shipments

Between shortages and surging prices, the memory apocalypse is likely to get worse before it gets better. Case in point, Taiwanese memory manufacturer and distributor Transcend has apparently not received a new NAND Flash shipment since at least October, when prices first really started to spike.

According to company communication shared by @jukan05 on X, NAND Flash suppliers Samsung and Sandisk have delayed the latest planned shipment once more (via Techpowerup). As a result, Transcend's "Q4 chip allocation has been significantly reduced."

Long story short, SSD pricing will likely rise in the near future. The internal document goes on to echo many of the same reasons Jacob points to in his excellent memory price crisis explainer. In short, yes, you can blame AI at least in part.

The memo reads, "At the moment, the market is experiencing a serious shortage of both DRAM (DDR5/DDR5) and NAND Flash (for SSD, SD, and MicroSD). The situation worsened in Q4 due to increased demand from large data centers and hyperscalers, driven by major cloud service providers’ expansion plans.

"All major chip manufacturers are prioritizing supply for these customers, which has led to price increases and extremely limited availability. Just last week alone, we were notified that costs had risen by 50–100%. The price-up trend continues at a very rapid pace and at an abnormal rate. This situation is expected to persist for at least the next three to five months."

We've already heard the memory apocalypse will carry on into 2026, with some especially dour forecasts predicting it will last all the way through to 2028, as Samsung and SK Hynix attempt to 'minimize the risk of oversupply'.

And, while we're on the subject of Samsung, delayed deliveries are perhaps no surprise as the company is currently negotiating with itself over DRAM contracts. With all of that in mind, "three to five months" is a projection that sounds downright optimistic.

We're already seeing wide-ranging ripple effects, beyond RAM and SSD prices surging. For instance, the humble Raspberry Pi—the cheapest computer any tinkerer can pick up—will raise the price of some of its models by as much as 21% due to the RAM shortage.

Along similar lines, Framework, purveyors of premium modular computers, have begun straight-up delisting standalone memory in order "to head off scalpers and preserve inventory for people buying it with our DIY Edition laptops."

Speaking of more do-it-yourself PC building, some reports also suggest motherboard sales are down by as much as 50% year-on-year as PC gamers delay their upgrade plans while waiting for components to become more reasonably priced. CPU sales are likely to soon see a similar story play out. 2025 is truly the best of times for PC gaming, and truly the worst of times for PC building.