The world’s largest memory maker now thinks the current shortage of DRAM and NAND is going to get worse next year and stick around until at least 2028. Samsung shared the outlook during its second-quarter FY2026 earnings call. It’s another clear sign of just how much artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules in the semiconductor world.
On the call, Samsung executives said several AI labs have already given them medium and long-term demand forecasts so the company can lock in capacity. That visibility is letting Samsung sign multi-year supply deals with big data-centre operators and expand production lines ahead of time. The idea is to smooth out the classic boom-and-bust cycles that have always defined the memory business.
The AI boom has been a mixed bag for Samsung. Its semiconductor division posted record sales and profits in the second quarter, with memory doing most of the heavy lifting. At the same time, the jump in component costs is starting to pinch the company’s own consumer electronics side. Higher memory prices have squeezed margins on Galaxy phones and TVs, so Samsung has raised retail prices. That’s already led to softer demand in those product lines.
Other device makers are feeling the same squeeze. Apple recently hiked prices on several MacBook and iPad models. Nothing had to cancel the CMF Phone 3 Pro and launch it under the Nothing brand to justify the price.
Samsung’s forecast makes it clear this tightness isn’t going away soon. Building new fab capacity takes years, and the fast growth of agentic AI is expected to keep pushing up token consumption, and with it, memory demand. By locking in long-term contracts for a big chunk of its output, Samsung is trying to make its own planning more predictable and bring a bit more stability to the wider market.
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(Source: TechCrunch)
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