We’ve received another warning from a major memory chipmaker that the global RAM crisis is set to intensify. Adding to the concern, rumors suggest that Nvidia might bring back an older GPU model, from two generations ago, to help address the current video RAM issues.
Wccftech reports that Micron recently achieved record revenue in its second quarter, largely fueled by demand for AI. Sanjay Mehrotra, Micron’s CEO, stated that this demand for AI is not going away and will, in fact, become even stronger.
In an interview with CNBC, Mehrotra explained, “AI is in very early innings; you just saw at GTC how much advances are being made in AI. And memory is a strategic asset; you need more memory, you need faster performance memory in order for AI to be able to deliver its full capabilities.” He added, “This is inference inflection. As inference broadens, it will scale up the need for tokens, and those tokens need to be fast, and guess what, you need more memory, you need faster memory in order to deliver the full potential of memory.”
Mehrotra emphasized the current situation: “And memory today is very tight supply, and supply cannot be brought up that easily, and you are seeing that in our results.”
Meanwhile, as VideoCardz recently highlighted, rumors continue to circulate that the RTX 3060 graphics card might be brought back into production, specifically its 12GB version. This information comes from Board Channels, a source of supply chain rumors in China, suggesting that production of the RTX 3060 could restart in June.
While we should take this rumor with a grain of salt, if true, it points to a move by Nvidia to offer some relief and more affordable GPU options. This would be a direct response to the video RAM situation. Even though 12GB is a good amount for a budget graphics card, it uses GDDR6 memory, not the latest GDDR7. This means it wouldn’t compete for the inventory of the newer memory type.
Despite the RTX 3060 being an older GPU, its 12GB configuration would likely appeal to some gamers looking for a cheaper card with a decent amount of video memory.
What’s more concerning is that Micron isn’t the only company issuing such warnings. Both Samsung and SK Hynix, the other two major RAM manufacturers, have released similar, if not more serious, warnings. Samsung recently said it expects “significant shortages” across its memory products to last until at least 2028. SK Hynix previously warned that the RAM crisis fallout could continue until as late as 2030.
With all three memory giants making these grim statements, and rumors of Nvidia reviving old GPUs to cope with video RAM shortages, it seems unlikely that the RAM crisis will ease up anytime soon.
