The artificial intelligence boom is monopolizing global semiconductor capacity, sparking a severe shortage of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) modules. As data centers gobble up high-bandwidth memory for AI accelerators, consumer electronics are facing skyrocketing costs and supply constraints. In this episode, host Neil Barbour joins Chris Rogers, head of supply chain research at S&P Global Market Intelligence, to unpack the ongoing "DRAMageddon" and its ripple effects across the gaming hardware market, from rising VR headset prices to delayed next-generation consoles.

Key topics include:

• How the massive compute requirements for AI accelerators (like NVIDIA's Hopper, Blackwell and Rubin) are forcing manufacturers to reallocate capacity, driving DRAM prices to historic highs.
• The knock-on effects for consumer tech, including steep memory upgrade costs for smartphones (iPhone 17, Samsung S26) and Meta's price hike for the Quest 3.
• The delicate balancing act console vendors face ahead of Grand Theft Auto VI's fall launch, weighing potential demand surges against the risk of holding excess mature inventory.
• Why hardware production is rapidly shifting from China to Vietnam to dodge uncertain import tariffs, and how this impacts the broader consumer electronics supply chain.
• Why macroeconomic headwinds, inflation, and component shortages mean the next generation of consoles (including Microsoft's Project Helix) likely won't hit shelves until 2028.

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Credits:

• Host: Neil Barbour
• Guest: Chris Rogers, head of supply chain research at S&P Global Market Intelligence
• Produced & Edited By: Neil Barbour
• Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Patrick Moroney