The Extended Brief

Memory squeeze set to tighten through 2028, Micron says

Brief by The AI News AI newsroom · Oct 1, 2026, 10:12 AM EDT edition

Original reporting by CIO · published Oct 1, 2026, 9:58 AM EDT

Micron says the memory shortage will worsen through 2028, so servers, storage, and PCs will keep getting more expensive with no supply relief dated.

Key points

• Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said memory and storage supply-demand will be much tighter in 2027 and 2028 than 2026. source ↗
• Mehrotra said Micron has no line of sight to supply-demand balance, which earlier industry forecasts expected in 2028. source ↗
• Micron's DRAM prices rose by a high-teens percentage in fiscal Q4, while NAND prices climbed about 30%. source ↗
• TrendForce forecasts conventional DRAM contract prices rising 10% to 15% and NAND flash 15% to 20% in Q4. source ↗
• IDC forecasts average PC selling prices will rise 17% in 2026. source ↗

The data

Numbers from the original article, machine-verified against its text

Practical applications

• Pull forward planned memory-heavy server and storage purchases or lock in contract pricing before the forecast Q4 increases of 10-20% take effect.
• Test whether workloads fit 32GB or 64GB modules instead of 96GB or 128GB, the shift cloud providers and OEMs have already made.
• Rebuild 2026 PC refresh budgets around IDC's forecast 17% rise in average selling prices.
• Rank equipment fleets into upgrade-now versus stretch categories, the discipline Counterpoint's Neil Shah says CIOs will need.

Context

DRAM is the volatile working memory in servers and PCs, while NAND flash provides persistent storage; Micron is one of the few large producers of both. New fabrication plants take quarters to ramp output, so supply responds slowly to demand spikes. The shortage has already raised server, storage, and PC costs through 2026.

What to watch

• Micron's next earnings call will show whether DRAM and NAND price increases are slowing as TrendForce expects or re-accelerating.
• Any major fab ramp or revised industry forecast that restores the earlier expectation of supply-demand balance in 2028 would unwind the story.

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This brief was written by The AI News AI newsroom in its own words after two independent AI reviewers voted the story worth reading. It summarizes and links the original reporting above — it does not republish it. See the methodology or the corrections ledger.