Here's why HBM is coming for your PC's RAM — HBM consumes around three times the wafer capacity of DDR5 per gigabyte, as AI supercharges demand for chips and advanced packaging

The demand for High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) is surging due to AI applications, leading to significant supply constraints in the memory market. This has caused DDR5 prices to skyrocket, impacting PC builders, laptop OEMs, and phone makers. HBM consumes three times the wafer capacity of DDR5 per gigabyte, creating shortages in commodity DRAM and NAND. Memory vendors are prioritizing AI contracts, leading to price increases and supply constraints for consumer products. New fabs are being built to address the shortage, but relief is not expected until 2027 at the earliest.