The world runs on memory chips. Every AI model, every data center, every smartphone relies on DRAM and NAND flash memory to function. And according to Micron Technology’s CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, there simply aren’t enough of them to go around, a problem he doesn’t see resolving anytime soon.
Mehrotra indicated during Micron’s fiscal Q1 2026 earnings call that tight supply conditions for both DRAM and NAND will persist through and beyond 2026, with projections suggesting the crunch could stretch into 2027 or later. The culprit is straightforward: AI infrastructure is consuming memory at a pace that manufacturers can’t match.
A shortage that spans the entire industry
This isn’t just a Micron problem. SK Hynix, one of the three companies that dominate global memory production alongside Micron and Samsung, reported being sold out of memory products through 2026. When two of the three major suppliers are effectively tapped out, that’s not a bottleneck. That’s a structural deficit.
Micron executives have said that memory products tailored specifically for AI applications are fully booked.
