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Framework warns of even more rising RAM and SSD prices through 2026 as memory crisis persists — some reprieve as prices plateau in latest monthly update

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Why This Matters

The ongoing global memory crisis is driving up RAM and SSD prices through 2026, impacting both consumers and manufacturers in the tech industry. While some product prices remain stable, many will see increases, emphasizing the importance of strategic purchasing and supply chain resilience. This situation underscores the broader challenges in hardware component availability and cost management for future tech development.

Key Takeaways

Framework has announced yet another price adjustment for components, including RAM, storage, and overall silicon costs, due to the ongoing global memory crisis. In its latest monthly update, the company said that while this period showed some signs of stability, customers should be prepared for a further increase in pricing and volatility throughout the remainder of 2026.

For its DIY Edition laptops, DDR5 memory pricing remains largely unchanged at $13 to $18 per GB, depending on the capacity. However, pricing for SSDs is beginning to witness a shift due to the depletion of existing SSD inventory that was purchased at a lower cost. The company has already adjusted pricing for higher-capacity drives, such as the 4TB WD Black SN850X, and has advised customers with high-capacity storage requirements to consider making their purchase soon while older inventory remains available at a nominal value.

Similarly, pricing for LPDDR5X memory has also surged in the past few months, which has led to a price increase for its Framework Desktop powered by AMD’s Strix Halo chips. While the company is going to absorb a portion of these higher costs, it will be increasing the price for the 128GB configuration to offset the remainder. Framework claims that despite this adjustment, its desktop offering remains one of the most affordable options for users seeking large memory capacities for local AI workloads.

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The outlook is somewhat more favorable for the Framework Laptop 16. The company has managed to secure lower CPU pricing for certain configurations, allowing it to bring some models back to their original launch pricing. However, due to the ongoing increases in memory costs, prebuilt variants featuring 64GB of DDR5 RAM will witness a price increase.

Beyond full systems, Framework’s modular ecosystem has also fallen victim to rising costs. Its Storage Expansion Cards, which rely on the same NAND flash as conventional NVMe SSDs, are becoming more expensive to produce. The company has already increased pricing for the 250GB version and has warned that both 250GB and 1TB variants are likely to witness a substantial price adjustment later this year.

Back in March, Framework shared a similar update suggesting an increase in memory and storage pricing. The company had increased DDR5 SO-DIMM costs to around $13 to $18 per GB after the exhaustion of its previously purchased lower-cost inventory. The company had also adjusted SSD pricing as it transitioned to newer, more expensive stock, while temporarily maintaining below-market rates on select high-capacity drives as it cleared remaining inventory.

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