Samsung is warning that the global chip shortage won't ease anytime soon — in fact, the company says it could persist until at least 2028. The culprit: artificial intelligence is devouring memory supply at a pace that outruns production.
AI's appetite for memory
The shortage isn't about all chips. It's specifically about memory chips, the kind used in data centers to train and run AI models. Samsung, one of the world's largest memory makers, says demand from AI is so intense that it's absorbing supply that would otherwise go to other products.
That's a shift from the pandemic-era shortage, which hit everything from cars to laptops. Now the squeeze is more targeted, but it's also more persistent. Samsung's warning suggests the industry won't catch up for years.
If memory chips keep flowing to AI, consumer electronics could feel the pinch. Smartphones, tablets, and PCs all need memory, and if supply stays tight, prices could rise or availability could shrink. That could slow the growth of the consumer electronics market, which had been recovering from a slump.
The shortage could also reshape the tech industry's priorities. Companies may have to choose between building AI infrastructure and shipping new consumer devices. So far, AI is winning.
A reshaped tech landscape
The prolonged shortage isn't just a supply problem — it's a strategic one. Chipmakers are likely to allocate more capacity to high-margin AI memory, leaving less for traditional products. That could accelerate a split in the industry: AI gets the chips it needs, while consumer gadgets wait.
Samsung's timeline of 2028 is a long horizon. It means the industry has to plan for years of tight supply, and that could change how companies design products, set prices, and invest in new fabs.
For now, the question is whether other memory makers will follow Samsung's lead and expand capacity fast enough to close the gap. The answer won't come until they announce their own production plans.
