While the price of DRAM chips remained relatively stable throughout the turmoil of 2020, hkepc reports that the stock price of DRAM memory chips in the RAM of our PCs has soared a whopping 20-30% since last December.

This is thanks to the latest developments of memory manufacturers, in addition to the continuous increase in demand for PC parts. And it doesn't look like it's going to stop just yet.

SK Hynix, Micron, and Samsung, three major memory makers that together account for about 95% of the market, appear to be gradually reducing their investments in memory throughout 2020.

In particular, Samsung, the world's largest DRAM chipmaker, is switching things up to deal with various market pressures. Samsung reportedly plans to convert its 300mm "13-line" DRAM production facility in Hwaseong to produce contact image sensors (CIS) for flatbed scanners instead of DRAM (etnews, via hkepc).

The 13 lines currently produce about 100,000 units of DRAM per month. However, once the conversion is complete, production capacity will be reduced by about 50%.

Another line at Hwaseong DRAM has already been undergoing a similar conversion since last year, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.

Thirteen more lines will follow shortly thereafter, meaning that memory production capacity will drop quite substantially over the next year. This decision will likely mean further increases in DRAM prices.

We are already seeing GDDR6 supply issues rocking the global GPU market, and this is all happening at a time when manufacturers are raising prices due to rising component costs and tariffs. Now we are also having to worry about being able to afford memory upgrades, which is a big concern for us, as we have to worry about the cost of the memory upgrade, which is a big concern for us, as well.

So if you are planning to upgrade your PC, now might be the time. Before the memory giants abandon us to an expensive fate.

It wasn't that long ago that memory was much more expensive than it is today, but costs have plummeted quite rapidly in the last few years. Perhaps there is some hope left that RAM prices will remain stable and low after 2021.