RAM crisis: Micron indirectly blames Apple
Apple CEO Tim Cook calls the current RAM and SSD supply situation unprecedented. One manufacturer wants to know the reasons – AI is not solely to blame.
Micron's headquarters, here in California.
(Image: bluestork / Shutterstock)
Apple's significant price increase due to massive RAM and SSD inflation is causing a stir. Apple itself cites the high demand for AI hardware for data centers as the reason. He said he had never seen anything like it in his career, said CEO Tim Cook. However, there is criticism of Apple itself in the industry, at least indirectly: the iPhone manufacturer is said to have at least contributed to the crisis with its supplier policy. The Chief Business Officer of the memory company Micron made corresponding hints to the Wall Street Journal last week, but without naming the specific customer.
Apple paid “rock-bottom prices”
In an interview with the business newspaper, Sumit Sadana said that Micron had not been able to make the necessary investments during the last downturn in the memory market. At that time, RAM was so cheap that Micron fell into the red. Sadana said that “certain customers” had taken advantage of this to “pay rock-bottom prices.”
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Since Apple is possibly the world's largest RAM buyer, the manager likely meant the iPhone company primarily, which is famous for its tough negotiations with suppliers. “We told a couple of the customers who were being very aggressive with pricing at that time that this is not constructive,” said Sadana. This then led to necessary capital investments being omitted. Large parts of the industry had stopped spending money in 2023 because there were “really poor pricing and really poor margins.”
High margins cushioned tariffs
Apple typically uses its large orders for RAM and SSDs, as well as other components, consistently to drive down prices – even though its margins are usually very high. This helped the company initially keep prices stable in the current memory inflation – unlike its competitors.
But this is no longer possible; prices have been increased by an average of 200 euros or more and by 100 euros for cheaper model series. Apple is currently trying to secure more capacity for itself, for example, by procuring RAM from Chinese manufacturer CXMT. However, according to Tim Cook, the company does not want to become involved in the RAM and SSD business itself – not even indirectly. Micron estimates that the current demand situation could last beyond 2027.
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