Are RAM Prices Finally Dropping Because OpenAI Isn't Buying? The Full Story Explained (2026)
RAM prices surged over 90% in early 2026 — but now they're cooling down. Is OpenAI really responsible for the global memory crisis, and why are prices
Are RAM Prices Finally Dropping Because OpenAI Isn't Buying? The Full Story Explained (2026)
If you tried to buy RAM, upgrade your laptop, or build a new PC in early 2026, you already felt the pain. Prices had gone completely off the rails. A 32GB DDR5 kit that cost around $120 in 2024 was suddenly retailing for $490 or more. Laptops got more expensive. Mid-range phones started shipping with less RAM than before. And budget PC builders were left staring at price tags that made no sense. Then, in the final days of March 2026, something shifted. RAM prices began to cool. DDR5 kits dropped by up to $100 in just a few weeks. The internet exploded with one theory: OpenAI pulled out of its massive memory deal — and that's why prices are falling. But is that actually true? Is OpenAI really responsible for both the price spike and the sudden price drop? Let's break the whole story down from beginning to end. How Bad Did RAM Prices Actually Get? To understand what's happening now, you first need to understand how extreme the situation became. This wasn't a minor fluctuatio…