RAM is expensive mainly due to a combination of AI data-center demand, shifts in memory production priorities, and ongoing supply tightness in the DRAM market. Key factors driving the price rise:

• AI and data-center demand: Large AI deployments require substantial high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and DDR5, which has caused manufacturers to reallocate production capacity away from consumer-grade RAM toward server/AI memory. This reduces PC RAM supply and supports higher prices.

• Production shifts and allocation: Leading memory makers have been prioritizing newer, higher-margin memory types (DDR5 and HBM) and server-grade modules, limiting availability for consumer DDR4/DDR5 kits and driving up prices.

• Persistent supply tightness: Even with strong demand variability earlier, the market has remained tight as capacity is invested in AI-ready memory and larger fabs allocate wafer real estate to high-value memory types, with fulfillment rates limited for PCs.

• Secondary market and storage linkage: While not the sole cause, shortages and higher costs in related memory/storage components (SSDs, HDDs) reflect broader supply constraints in memory ecosystems, reinforcing price pressures.

What this means for consumers:

• PC memory (DDR4/DDR5) can be notably more expensive than in recent prior years, especially for higher-capacity kits or fast DDR5 modules. Prices have shown volatility but an overarching upward trend due to the AI-driven demand shift.

• Shortages or price spikes can appear even for basic desktop RAM, as suppliers manage allocations toward data-center-grade products. Watching for sales or bundles may help, but the baseline costs may remain elevated until supply expands.

If you’d like, I can pull up the latest price ranges for common RAM sizes (e.g., 16GB DDR5-6000, 32GB DDR4/DDR5 kits) and offer buying tips based on current conditions.