Memory chip crunch is hitting hard. AI giants and consumer tech brands are now locked in a fierce scramble for what's left on the market, and it's getting ugly. Prices? Through the roof. We're talking about the chips that let your devices actually hold data—the backbone of everything from smartphones to mining rigs.

The ripple effects are wild. Supply chains that were already fragile are now straight-up breaking. Companies that relied on steady shipments are suddenly bidding against each other like it's an auction house. And it's not just the big players feeling the squeeze—smaller outfits are getting priced out entirely.

What's driving this? Demand from AI infrastructure is exploding. Training models, running decentralized networks, powering data centers—all of it needs memory, and lots of it. Meanwhile, production hasn't caught up. So here we are: too many buyers, not enough chips, and costs spiraling upward. If you're building anything that depends on hardware right now, you're probably sweating.