Steam is reportedly in the process of adding a "Frame Estimator" tool that can estimate your PC's performance before you purchase a game. As you know, Valve's Steam platform is the largest gaming platform in the world, with access to millions of PCs. The Steam Client application offers an option to include your PC in Valve's telemetry system, which processes data such as your PC's specifications and game information, including your library. Using these data points, Steam will estimate how many frames per second your PC can generate in any game, depending on your configuration. For example, for a specific CPU, GPU, and available system memory, the Steam Client will indicate whether a game can reach 60 FPS at 1440p using high settings, or whatever your preference is. We can only speculate at this point about what the feature will look like, as Steam is still refining it before the public beta release.

Additionally, Valve has already started asking users for anonymous FPS data collection about a month ago whenever they run a game. With this data pool, likely involving millions of participants, Valve aims to build a system that estimates your FPS output based on your specific PC configuration, without needing to run a game first. Reportedly, this feature will appear in the Steam Client and show how much performance your PC can deliver before you even purchase a game. This is a classic recommendation system that will indicate what your configuration typically delivers at specific game settings and resolutions.

Rowhammer attacks exploit vulnerabilities in DRAM hardware by causing targeted bit-flips, allowing attackers to bypass memory isolation and gain control over a device. These attacks were initially focused on CPUs and their associated DDR memory, such as DDR4. However, recent research indicates that NVIDIA GPUs are also vulnerable due to the fragile nature of the GDDR6 memory they use, which directly compromises the CPU host. Two independent research teams have discovered ways to exploit this decades-old memory vulnerability against modern graphics hardware, with trouble extending beyond the GPU itself. The "GDDRHammer" and "GeForge" groups have each developed functional exploits that use Rowhammer bit-flips in NVIDIA GPUs with GDDR6 memory to gain complete control over the host CPU's memory. This attack can perform bit-flips on some NVIDIA GPU models, ranging from the "Ampere" to "Ada Lovelace" families of cards.

An attacker who succeeds in this can read and write anything stored in the machine's main memory. Both teams have also introduced new Rowhammer techniques specifically designed for GPU architecture, achieving a significantly higher rate of bit-flips on GDDR6 memory than previous methods. The critical step in both exploit chains involves targeting the GPU's memory allocator, using controlled bit-flips to corrupt the GPU's page tables. Once these page tables are compromised, the attacker gains arbitrary read and write access to CPU memory, breaking down the security boundary between the graphics subsystem and the rest of the machine. The end result is a full system compromise, as the attacker can manipulate memory at will and gain root access, achieving total control without interacting with privileged software paths. The affected GPUs include the GeForce RTX 3060, which experienced 1,171 bit-flips, and the RTX 6000 "Ada" GPU, which saw 202 bit-flips from the attack.

One could be forgiven for thinking it's an April fools, but alas, Raspberry Pi has announced yet another price hike due to the increasing costs of DRAM. Its CEO, Eben Upton announced in a blog post that the company has seen a seven-fold increase in the cost of LPDDR4 DRAM, which is used in both the Raspberry Pi 4 and 5. All 4 GB and up SKUs of the aforementioned products will see a price hike that ranges from US$25 to US$100. Other products will also see an increase in price and you can find all the price bumps in the table below.

At the same time, the company is launching a new 3 GB SKU of the Raspberry Pi 4, which will launch at US$83.75. The new SKU is available today from all authorised resellers globally. The price increases mean that the 16 GB SKU of the Raspberry Pi 5 now comes in at US$305, which is more than what a lot of mini PCs set you back six months ago. The 16 GB Raspberry Pi 500+ keyboard computer comes in at a whopping US$410, suggesting that some products are unlikely to sell, as they've simply become uncompetitive. The only good news today is that the 1 and 2 GB SKUs for the Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 won't see any price hikes this time around, alongside the 4 GB SKU of the Raspberry Pi 400. Raspberry Pi is promising to lower its pricing as soon as the cost for DRAM goes down at some point in the future.

Gigabyte, the world's leading computer brand, announces the availability of its Z890 Plus series motherboards that support the new Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus series processors. Led by the Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X, the Z890 Plus series brings next-generation memory capability with CQDIMM support, one-click performance boosting through Ultra Turbo Mode, and an upgraded feature set inspired by previous flagship designs.

Highlighting the CQDIMM and GIGABYTE's exclusive D5 DUO X Technology, the Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X and Z890M FORCE DUO X WIFI7 models are engineered to achieve uncompromising performance without tradeoffs between memory capacity and speed, enabling full 256 GB capacity with two 128 GB CQDIMM modules. To ensure stable high-frequency operation, D5 DUO X Technology integrates an optimized motherboard circuit design that reduces memory channel loading and enhances signal integrity, alongside advanced BIOS tuning that intelligently manages timing, signal synchronization, and voltage management.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in standards development for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of JESD406-5D: LPDDR5/5X Serial Presence Detect (SPD) Contents standard, an update of the Revision C standard that adds support for calculating recovery time when switching operating modes. JESD406-5D is available for free download from the JEDEC website.

LPDDR5/5X memory devices are capable of supporting two sets of timing parameters: a full speed mode and a reduced speed mode that consumes less power. This feature allows for longer battery life for mobile devices which are a common application for LPDDR5/5X chips and modules and may also be leveraged by data centers as the use of LPDDR5/5X devices grows. The updated JESD406-5 standard documents key parameters for calculating the switching time between fast and low power modes, making the feature more efficient and allowing higher system performance.

Intel has reportedly informed its major PC clients of a planned 10% price increase on its consumer CPUs. According to industry sources cited by ET News, this price hike will affect Intel's Core Ultra family of processors, which power hundreds of millions of PCs worldwide. As a result, PC OEMs may need to alleviate the increased material costs by promoting their AI PCs and premium devices more aggressively. To maintain positive margins, these OEMs will likely have to raise prices further and emphasize their higher-end AI PC offerings to capture better margins.

PC gamers have faced challenges over the past year, with memory and storage prices climbing rapidly, reaching exorbitant levels for simple RAM kits. The high demand from data centers has depleted memory and storage inventories months in advance. GPUs have also been affected, as gamers have struggled to purchase them at MSRP, instead facing inflated prices due to the shortage of GDDR memory (VRAM) used in these GPUs. Now, CPUs are joining this trend, with Intel targeting its consumer CPU sector first. This price increase will impact everything from pre-built systems and DIY PCs to laptops and other consumer CPU variants. For example, the 10% increase will significantly affect PC pricing, depending on the CPU's share of the bill of materials. We are waiting to see how these changes will affect popular retailers like MicroCenter, Amazon, Newegg, and others before drawing further conclusions.

As PC gamers and enthusiasts, we all know by now that there is a supply shortage of various silicon components in the personal computing market, with the blame largely falling on AI demand and NVIDIA's and AMD's pivots to AI data center supply. In a recent report by Money UDN MSI's General Manager, Huang Jinqing, predicts a 15-30% price increase for its gaming products across the board as a result of the current market conditions. Jinqing goes on to say that there is an NVIDIA GPU supply shortage on the order of 20%.

As a result of the current supply shortages, Jinqing suggests that the overall PC market will shrink by as much as 10-20%. Recent retailer reports paint a slightly grimmer picture, though, with Mindfactory's sales figures pointing to a more significant decline in GPU sales volume. In light of the recent shortages, especially of DDR5 memory, hardware makers have turned to older platforms, with ASUS announcing increased production for DDR4 motherboards. Now, it seems as though MSI will follow ASUS down that path, with Jinqing confirming that it has signed long-term contracts for memory and shifted production to increase DDR4 motherboard output.

Memory manufacturers are forecasting that memory shortages will persist until the end of 2028, when the supply chain balance is expected to be restored and memory will once again reach its commodity status. However, according to the South Korean Chosun Biz newspaper, memory manufacturers are reconsidering their expansion plans to ensure they don't overinvest in building new capacity after demand cools down. Reportedly, Samsung's internal projections indicate that demand for DRAM in forms like HBM and regular DDR will peak in the next few quarters, up until the end of 2028. This is the point where Samsung expects industry-wide demand to cool down and balance to be restored.

When the AI expansion began, memory manufacturers received massive orders from hyperscalers around the world, ordering DRAM supply months in advance. With no end in sight, SK Hynix, Micron, and Samsung started ordering more lithography tools from ASML to expand their wafer manufacturing capacity to meet their customers' needs for more HBM, DDR, and GDDR memory. According to ASML, the company estimates that in 2027, based on current order information and demand, it will deliver 56 Low-NA EUV scanners. This includes seven units for Samsung and as many as 20 units for SK Hynix, specifically for memory and storage. According to South Korean media, SK Hynix plans to install 20 Low-NA EUV units in the next two years, all designed for HBM memory and advanced storage solutions. However, as the demand is expected to stay in line with previous expansion plans, this is stopping memory makers from considering taking the fab capacity expansion further than initially planned.

Framework has taken a remarkably transparent approach to recent RAM price increases that affect the pricing of both its laptops and its standalone RAM sales, sticking to monthly price updates throughout the ongoing RAM shortage and maintaining a blog post with monthly updates on the industry situation. Framework's March memory pricing update will see prices on DDR5 SODIMMs increase to as much as $13-18 per GB, with lower capacity sticks seemingly trending towards the higher end of that price bracket. The price increases in question have also affected the Framework Desktop and some pre-built SKUs of the Framework Laptop 16.

Framework also confirmed that it has "started to deplete" its stockpile of low-cost SSDs that were sitting in inventory, and the company predicts that prices for the Laptop 12, 13, and 16 will continue to trend upwards in the coming months as a result of both the storage and RAM price increases. For the time being, the OEM still has supply of 2, 4, and 8 TB SN850X SSDs that are priced below market averages. The impacts of the DRAM crisis on silicon fabrication have also begun to become apparent, since the Intel Core i5-1334U in the Framework 12 is in limited supply.

Silicon Power (SP) proudly announces that its XPOWER Cyclone DDR5 RGB gaming memory module has been honored with the iF Design Award 2026, one of the world's most prestigious recognitions, for outstanding product design. The award highlights the Cyclone's successful fusion of high-performance engineering and bold, minimalist aesthetics designed for gamers, overclockers, and PC enthusiasts.

Performance-Driven Design for the Next Generation
The XPOWER Cyclone DDR5 RGB series represents Silicon Power's next step in high-performance gaming memory, including the company's first Clocked Unbuffered DIMM (CUDIMM). Designed to meet the demands of modern gaming systems and performance computing, the modules support ultra-fast speeds of up to 9200 MT/s for smoother gameplay, faster data processing, and improved system responsiveness.

Patriot Memory, a global leader in high-performance memory and storage solutions, is pleased to announce its participation in Embedded World 2026. Under its dedicated industrial and embedded brand, ACPI, Patriot Memory will showcase a comprehensive portfolio of next-generation hardware designed for AIoT, edge computing, and 5G infrastructure. Highlighting the display are the new M2PDR-8LP PCIe Gen 5 x4 SSD, the high-capacity Enterprise NVMe SSD series, and high-speed DDR5 RDIMM modules featuring wide-temperature support.

As industrial applications transition toward data-heavy workloads involving AI training and autonomous systems, the demand for extreme bandwidth and thermal stability has reached a critical point. ACPI's latest offerings are engineered to address these challenges by combining cutting-edge interface standards with industrial-grade reliability.

Morefine has announced the N1 NAS, a tower-style NAS solution that packs the AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 8845HS, up to 96 GB of DDR5-5600 ECC memory, dual 10 GbE ports, and built-in PCIe expansion. Pricing starts at $759 for a barebones version, but 32 GB of memory bumps that up to $1,209, while the 64 GB and 96 GB versions come in at $1,569 and $1,929. The Morefine N1 has three M.2 slots for up to 12 TB of SSD storage alongside four hot-swap 3.5-inch HDD bays accessible via the top of the case for an additional 120 TB. The aluminium case itself measured 218 × 193 × 372 mm, making it considerably smaller than many ITX systems but not quite as svelte as a traditional mini PC, like the recently announced Minisforum MS-A2.

The N1 also comes with a built-in 800 W PSU with 400 W dedicated to the GPU power budget, making it adequate for something like an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, although the included PSU power connectors are not specified. Internal space for the dGPU is limited to 330 mm × 66 mm, too, so SFF GPUs will be the way to go. The port selection is also fairly decent for an SFF PC, packing dual USB 2.0, 1× USB4 port, 1× USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1× USB 3.2 Gen 1, a full size SD card reader, 1× HDMI 2.0, and dual 10 GbE RJ 45 ports. It also has a small 3-inch full color touch screen on the front of the case for displaying things like system information.

TrendForce's latest findings reveal that the expansion of AI applications from LLM training to inference has prompted CSPs to broaden data center build-outs beyond AI servers to include general-purpose servers. This shift has extended memory procurement beyond HBM3e, LPDDR5X, and high-capacity RDIMMs to RDIMMs across multiple densities. Aggressive additional orders have driven a sharp increase in conventional DRAM contract prices, lifting total DRAM industry revenue to $53.58 billion in 4Q25, up 29.4% QoQ.

Across segments, buyers have struggled to secure sufficient supply amid a widening supply-demand gap. This has significantly strengthened suppliers' pricing power. Conventional DRAM contract prices rose 45-50% QoQ, while blended contract prices for conventional DRAM and HBM increased 50-55%, marking an accelerated upswing across all product categories.

Sony is reportedly postponing the launch of its next-generation PlayStation 6 console to 2028 or 2029 due to the massive rise in memory costs. This is reportedly impacting decision-making at the top of the company unit responsible for PlayStation strategic planning. Rising memory costs and a tight semiconductor supply chain are the core reasons behind any changes. Initially, we expected to see the wave of next-generation consoles in 2027, as AMD recently confirmed Microsoft's next-generation Xbox arriving in 2027. However, Sony could be abandoning the 2027 release window and pushing its PlayStation 6 console to a late 2028 or even 2029 launch, indicating that the company is not capable of securing sufficient DRAM allocation from its partners. This could leave Microsoft's new Xbox console as superior for an entire year or even two before Sony could join the next-generation console wars.

BloombergSony Group Corp. is now considering pushing back the debut of its next PlayStation console to 2028 or even 2029, according to people familiar with the company's thinking. That would be a major upset to a carefully orchestrated strategy to sustain user engagement between hardware generations.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of edge computing solutions, industrial motherboards, graphics cards, storage devices, and memory solutions, is excited to introduce its latest DDR5 16 GB UDIMM memory, available in 4800 and 5600 MT variants. Designed with a focus on stability, efficiency, and broad system compatibility, the new DDR5 memory delivers reliable performance across everyday computing and professional applications.

Designed to support a wide range of computing environments, BIOSTAR DDR5 16 GB UDIMM memory offers a balanced and dependable solution for every day and professional use. From home entertainment and office productivity to HTPC systems, NAS deployments, system integration projects, content creation, and casual to mid-range gaming, this memory delivers smooth multitasking and consistent system responsiveness across diverse workloads.

South Korean memory makers, SK hynix and Samsung, are preparing to showcase their next-generation LPDDR6 memory solutions at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2026 in San Francisco, which will take place from February 15-19. As the premier event for showcasing advancements in silicon design, South Korean makers will present their best new technologies. For SK hynix and Samsung, this includes an update to their low-power DDR memory, now in its 6th generation. The LPDDR6 modules from SK hynix will arrive in 16 Gb capacities and offer a transfer rate per pin of 14.4 Gbps, built on the 1c generation (1γ generation) semiconductor node, which is the company's 6th generation of 10 nm DRAM. SK hynix runs these new modules at JEDEC's highest LPDDR6 speeds, meaning that the company is close to maxing out the new technology, and overclocked LPDDR6X versions might be arriving soon.

Samsung, on the other hand, has improved its LPDDR6 since the original CES 2026 presentation. The company will now present its 16 Gb LPDDR6 modules running at 12.8 Gbps, which is a significant improvement over the 10.7 Gbps modules from a few weeks ago. Samsung reportedly manufactures this LPDDR6 memory on a 12 nm process, which is slightly larger than SK hynix's 10 nm, but these modules also deliver great benefits. The company claims a 21% improvement in energy efficiency over its predecessor LPDDR5X. Additionally, Samsung's LPDDR6 memory uses NRZ signaling for I/O with a 12DQ subchannel, while SK hynix modules likely follow suit.

TrendForce's latest memory industry survey indicates that persistent AI and data center demands in 1Q26 are further worsening the global memory supply and demand imbalance, thereby increasing suppliers' pricing power. As a result, TrendForce has significantly raised its 1Q26 price forecasts for both DRAM and NAND Flash products. The quarter-over-quarter increase in conventional DRAM contract prices has been revised upward, from a previous estimate of 55-60% to now 90-95%. Similarly, NAND Flash contract prices are now expected to rise from 33-38% to 55-60%. Further upward adjustments may still occur.

TrendForce reports that PC shipments in 4Q25 exceeded expectations, resulting in a widespread shortage of PC DRAM. Even tier-1 PC OEMs with secured allocations from memory suppliers are experiencing declining inventory levels. In a market dominated by sellers, which is driving contract prices higher, PC DRAM prices in 1Q26 are projected to increase by over 100% QoQ, setting a new record for a quarterly surge.

According to Roman "der8auer" Hartung and HardwareLuxx, NVIDIA has effectively ended its Open Price Program (OPP). This program was intended to help NVIDIA's add-in card partners sell GPUs at NVIDIA-suggested MSRPs. The program reportedly ended a few days ago, which means the pricing of GPUs from NVIDIA's AIC partners will now fluctuate beyond MSRP. NVIDIA supplies its GPU dies and GDDR7 memory as a DIY kit to AIC partners, who purchase these kits at predetermined prices. They then install the GPU and memory on their customized PCBs to create third-party GPU designs. However, due to the scarcity of memory, GDDR7 prices have been rising significantly, and NVIDIA is passing these cost increases onto its AIC partners.

As per to HardwareLuxx, the OPP program helped NVIDIA's AICs maintain MSRPs for their custom GPUs. Participation in the OPP program allowed manufacturers to list their GPUs at MSRPs, making them more appealing to consumers due to their perceived value. However, with the end of the OPP program, prices are expected to rise significantly since NVIDIA will no longer "subsidize" these listings. This change is likely influenced by the strained supply chain in the memory segment, where manufacturers are running low on available memory, leading to increased lead times and higher costs. Fortunately, NVIDIA continues to provide GDDR7 memory with its GPUs, so AIC partners don't need to source it independently.

Everyone is aware of the massive memory shortage the industry is currently experiencing, yet prices are reportedly still rising. According to an anonymous Samsung memory distributor, an immediate price hike of 80% has been applied. Later, an employee from the Device Solutions Campus in Giheung, located south of Seoul, confirmed this information. However, we still lack official confirmation from other third-party sources. If the 80% hike is accurate, it will likely apply to the latest batch of contract prices Samsung has imposed on its distributors. As new contract negotiations occur every quarter, it seems the 80% price increase is applied for Q1, given that the effect is noted as immediate.

The scope of this adjustment includes all Samsung memory products, which encompass a diverse range of offerings such as DDR, HBM, LPDDR, and GDDR solutions. These products are used in mobile devices, desktops, embedded systems, graphics cards, AI accelerators, and more. However, since some memory products are supplied directly to Samsung's customers without distributors, it is likely that only certain types of these products will experience a significant price increase, if the reports are accurate. We still have a few weeks left before the trickle-down economics of the supply chain start to manifest, so we will know for sure if these rumors are true.

Update 18:36 UTC: : According to UDN, Samsung has denied these price hikes, claiming that the company has not issued a comprehensive price increase across its memory products.

Micron has signed a letter of intent with Taiwanese Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) to buy its P5 fab in Tongluo in Central Taiwan. Micron and PSMC have agreed on a cash price of US$1.8 billion for the fab, which is PSMC's most recent 12-inch fab and should allow Micron to add additional 1x nm DRAM production capacity. The two companies are expecting the transaction to close by the second quarter of this year, but it doesn't mean that Micron will take over the facility from day one. Instead, Micron isn't expecting the fab to "contribute to meaningful DRAM wafer output" until the second half of 2027.

PSMC doesn't have its own 1x nm DRAM production today, as the company is still developing its own nodes, which could be part of the reason for the delayed "meaningful" output for Micron. That means that with the current equipment in place, Micron will end up with 2x nm DRAM to start with, suggesting it's DDR4 that's being produced at the fab today. According to TrendForce, the fab should be able to contribute as much as 10 percent of Micron's total DRAM output in 2027, which is not an insignificant amount. TrendForce also noted that PSMC is expecting to get a 1x nm (1Y or 1Z) DRAM license for its other fabs, to help it produce higher-density DRAM in the near future at its other fabs.

It's been predicted for a while now that the looming DRAM crisis would have an effect on GPU prices in 2026, with previous stories we've covered indicating that cards like the RTX 5090 would see increases up to $5,000 before the end of the year. Now, an industry insider has claimed on Board Channels, via Wccftech, that NVIDIA would prioritize production and logistics for the GeForce RTX 5060 series, specifically referring to the RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti 8 GB models. This comes after NVIDIA has supposedly cut shipments of the 5060 Ti 16 GB and 5070 Ti models. This means that higher-end models will become more scarce and prices will likely become even more inflated as a result of the scarcity.

The switch-up in the logistics pipeline is supposedly a direct response to the shortage of consumer memory, which has resulted in higher density GDDR7 modules becoming more difficult to procure. These supply chain struggles are not limited to GPU add-in-board partners or NVIDIA, as there have been rumors about prominent laptop and smartphone manufacturers potentially delaying 2025 launches as a result of the DRAM crisis or even trimming the RAM on flagship devices in order to keep costs somewhat lower. Even the next-gen console generation is said to be caught in the crossfire, with delays apparently being discussed by the likes of Microsoft and Sony.

TrendForce's latest investigations indicate that DRAM suppliers in 1Q26 will continue to reallocate advanced process nodes and new capacity toward server and HBM products to support rising AI server demand. This shift has significantly limited supply in other markets, causing conventional DRAM contract prices to increase by about 55-60% QoQ. Meanwhile, disciplined capacity management by NAND Flash suppliers, along with robust server demand that is displacing other applications, is likely to increase contract prices across all NAND Flash product categories by 33-38%.

Despite weaker notebook shipments and slower growth in memory demand due to potential specification downgrades, PC DRAM prices are still set to rise sharply in the first quarter. DRAM suppliers have simultaneously tightened supply to PC OEMs and module makers, forcing some OEMs to procure memory at higher prices through modules makers. This is expected to raise DRAM suppliers' module pricing and significantly drive up PC DRAM prices.

SK Hynix held an internal company meeting, where the company reportedly presented some tough pills to swallow for many gamers. The company now forecasts the tight memory supply to last through 2028 for the commodity DRAM, which includes DDR5/DDR4, GDDR6/GDDR7, and LPDDR5x/LPDDR6. All the aforementioned DRAM variants are essential for PC and console components, making millions of gamers at risk of absorbing a massive price increase as a result. As memory supplier inventories deplete, production capacity will not increase to meet demand as it has in the past. This marks a departure from the usual response by memory manufacturers, who typically ramp up capacity in response to demand.

However, an interesting thing that SK Hynix has noted is that this situation will exclude the company's most advanced memory solutions—HBM and SOCAMM. These products are expected to get an additional capacity expansion, without tight supply impacting this part of the DRAM supply chain. These products are even in high demand as they are mostly consumed in higher volume than the regular commodity DRAM, due to their integration into AI products such as GPUs and servers.

Framework has published an official company blog post announcing that it is preparing a 50% price increase for its DDR5 memory upgrade configurations. In an effort to remain transparent with customers, the company has stated that it intends to raise the price of DDR5 memory available in Framework Laptop DIY Edition orders by 50%. This decision is a direct response to the significantly higher costs the company is facing from its DRAM suppliers and distributors. As a result, the company cannot absorb all of these cost increases on its own and needs to pass some of them on to the consumer.

The company will not increase the prices of its existing pre-configured systems that include DRAM, as these were acquired at earlier, standard prices. As the memory market becomes more volatile, this might be just the first wave of price hikes, since the company cannot absorb the added costs of new memory orders. Since Framework manufactures various components, from laptops to mini-PCs, the company uses a mix of DDR5, LPDDR5X, and GDDR. All of these are in tight supply due to the AI boom depleting any remaining DRAM inventory.

As Samsung transitions from its HBM3 and HBM3E variations of HBM memory to HBM4, the company is reportedly reallocating some of its HBM production capacity to regular DRAM to meet demand. Discussions within the company focus on converting approximately 30-40% of the current capacity from the 10 nm-class, fourth-generation 1a DRAM process to the 10 nm-class, fifth-generation 1b lines used for general-purpose DRAM. This includes DDR5, LPDDR5X, LPDDR6, and GDDR7 memory. With additional investment to repurpose mature process nodes like 1z, Samsung expects to free up the equivalent of about 80,000 wafers per month of 1b capacity.

While HBM typically offers higher margins for companies like Micron and SK Hynix, Samsung's internal estimates show that the operating profit for a 12-hi HBM3E stack is around 30%. In contrast, the near-term expectations for general-purpose DRAM exceed 60%. These margin differences, along with forecasts of a significant decline in average selling prices for 12-hi HBM3E and limited incremental demand from the largest HBM customer, have reduced the incentive to expand HBM3E production.