Global AI Boom Sparks 40% Surge in RAM, SSD and GPU Prices in Gujarat

Ahmedabad | Gujarat — World’s big tech giants like OpenAI, Google and Meta are in a race to be at the top in artificial intelligence and data centers. Due to which there is a shortage of semiconductor devices like RAM, SSD cards, hard drives and graphics cards in the world. Now the prices of all these hardware devices have increased by 25 to 40% in the market. 

As a result, the prices of all products related to the semiconductor industry sector have increased. In addition, the world’s big memory companies like Samsung, Hynix and Micron have diverted their production towards HBM (high-speed memory), DRAM and NAND (memory that saves photos and videos) for AI and cloud data centers. As a result, consumer-grade RAM-SSD has been produced. Low supply and high demand have led to an increase in prices.

Rs. 6,000 SSD is now available in the market for up to Rs. 14,000, price increase three times in a single month

According to semiconductor industry experts, in 2024, ITB SSDs of various brands were available for up to ₹6,000, but now they are available for Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 14,000. Not only SSDs, but RAM prices have also increased threefold in the last month alone. In Japan, the shortage has become so serious that some retailers are even making it a rule to sell only one RAM to a customer. 

Currently, there has been a price hike of up to 50% on semiconductor products in the market. Companies like Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron have announced an increase of up to 30% in the base price of their memory chips. As global tech companies like OpenAI, Google and Meta are buying large quantities of GPUs, RAM and storage for their AI data centers, due to which the consumer market is being directly affected.

This is the first price increase in 35 years, hardware prices are rising and falling like the stock market

Sunil Desai, a computer parts dealer said, “I have been doing business in this sector for the last 35 years, but I have never seen such a price hike. A month ago, 4 8GB RAMs were available for Rs 1,300-1,500 (4), today it is difficult to find them in stock and if there is, it is available for more than Rs 3,000. A stock market-like situation has now emerged in this sector too”

“During the wedding season, we have to store a huge amount of data every day. Compared to last year, the prices of SSD and hard drives have increased by 25 to 40 percent this year. Since we need large storage every day, this price increase increases our total expenses a lot.” said Desai.

Semiconductor device manufacturing companies are now focusing more on the new DDR5 RAM and memory required for AI. Due to this, the production of older RAM like DDR4 has been reduced. As a result, even customers upgrading old systems are having to pay high prices. – Rajat Pathak, IoT

Avoid panic buying for now and buy products as per your needs.

Compare offline and online prices before buying a Semicon product. Wait for any sale or festive season when offers can be found. According to industry experts, this situation may continue for the next two years. Therefore, it is necessary for the common buyer to avoid panic buying and make a wise decision to buy various products according to the need and budget.

What can student-gamers do?

How expensive will a PC be now:

PCs for basic editing and gaming that were earlier available for Rs. 40,000-50,000, have now reached Rs. 70,000-80,000. Buy now or wait?: For students, it would be a good idea to upgrade the RAM-SSD in an old system, while for gamers or video editors, you will have to wait to update the GPU.