Electronics manufacturers are passing growing component expenses directly to consumers, with HP noting that memory surged to 35% of laptop production costs in July. Meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman argued that allocating scarce DRAM to consumer hardware is inefficient because personal devices remain idle roughly 95% of the time. The supply crunch shows no signs of easing soon, as major memory fabricators report forward orders booked through 2028.
Key points
Smartphone, laptop, and gaming console manufacturers are continually raising hardware ret…: Smartphone, laptop, and gaming console manufacturers are continually raising hardware retail prices to absorb surging memory chip costs.
Sam Altman contends that scarce memory is better utilized in cloud data centres than in p…: Sam Altman contends that scarce memory is better utilized in cloud data centres than in personal devices to support artificial intelligence workloads.
Long-term supply constraints are expected to keep memory pricing elevated, with manufactu…: Long-term supply constraints are expected to keep memory pricing elevated, with manufacturers already booking significant chip production capacity into 2028.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Buying a new phone, laptop or gaming console has got noticeably costlier this year, and the reason sits inside the device. Memory chips, the DRAM and storage every gadget relies on, have climbed so steeply that brands across categories have passed the cost on to buyers. Now OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, whose AI data centres compete for the same chips, has said that keeping this memory in personal devices is a poor use of a scarce resource.
Speaking on Cheeky Pint, the podcast hosted by Stripe co-founder John Collison, which went live on October 29, Altman pushed back on the idea that running open-source AI models on personal computers would take the load off data centres. "From a global allocation perspective, actually, it's quite terrible to have everybody have a bunch of the world's limited supply of DRAM sitting in their own computer," he said, adding that the memory ends up "being used 5% of the time."
Sam Altman says local AI is the wrong answer to the memory shortage
Altman's point is about utilisation. Memory in a data centre…
Novel electronic materials are being engineered to provide robotic systems with flexible, stretchable, and soft physical capabilities. Cambridge-based DZP Technologies is driving this integration by leveraging advanced materials chemistry to manufacture printed electronics specifically tailored for dexterous robotics. These innovations aim to expand the structural adaptability and overall functionality of modern robotic systems.
Forensic investigators with TRM and Chainalysis have identified elite cyber unit TraderTraitor as the likely culprit behind the unprecedented security breach. The incident raises severe concerns about the crypto exchange's internal hot-wallet authorization controls and highlights the persistent threat state-sponsored actors pose to centralized digital asset platforms. Binance has pledged full reimbursement for impacted users as it coordinates asset recovery with international authorities.
Tech giants are attempting to transform underpowered smart displays into capable, centralized hubs for daily household coordination. By integrating computer-grade processors, both companies seek to provide frictionless shared access for family members checking schedules and managing connected devices. This hardware upgrade marks a substantial departure from the budget-friendly, limited utility screens that previously dominated the category.