Memory Shortage to Last Until 2030: How SK hynix Impacts Console and PC Prices
The rising cost of components and supply pressures hitting the gaming market are likely to persist for the foreseeable future. SK hynix forecasts that structural demand for memory semiconductors will outstrip supply through 2030, driven largely by the massive expansion of the AI sector.
The imbalance in supply and demand is already impacting consumer hardware. As semiconductor production lines shift focus toward High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) for AI servers and enterprise SSDs, prices for consumer DRAM and NAND flash have surged.
This trend has already forced manufacturers to adjust their pricing. In May, Valve increased prices for the Steam Deck OLED by over 40% depending on the model. Additionally, the launch of the Steam Machine in June saw base model prices set at $1,049, with Valve citing drastic RAM and storage price fluctuations as the reason for missing their original target price range.
Major console manufacturers have also felt the pressure:
- In April, Sony raised the US price of the standard PlayStation 5 by $100 to $649.99, citing rising chip costs and logistics instability.
- In May, Nintendo announced a $50 price hike for the Nintendo Switch 2, effective this September, due to increasing component costs.
According to SK hynix, the demand surge is expected to be sustained by enterprise AI in the short term and
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