Framework raises its memory prices by 50%, but says 'it is highly likely that we will need to make further price updates...whether DDR5, LPDDR5X, or GDDR'

For those who are just joining us, memory pricing has turned apocalyptic. Case in point, Framework announced it would be raising the price of its DDR5 memory modules for its laptops by 50% to account for the spiking costs the modular laptop brand is seeing from memory distributors and suppliers.

That's not even the wildest part, with Framework going on to clarify that its new pricing "remains below what is available in the open market" (link original). Previously, Framework had called out Dell and Apple for 'gouging customers' over their memory price hikes, while remaining upfront that the company itself would have to raise its own prices in the near future.

Framework also took the opportunity to assure that existing pre-orders will not be affected by this latest price increase. Furthermore, both the company's pre-built laptops and Framework Desktop that come with memory already installed won't see an uptick in price either—at least for the time being.

The company calls the pricing situation "extremely volatile," and states it will likely need to "make further price updates on both DDR5 modules and on our systems that come with memory, whether DDR5, LPDDR5X, or GDDR." The company's blog post does offer one word of advice for now, though, sharing, "As always, we also offer the option to buy a DIY Edition laptop with no memory or storage included, letting you re-use modules you have or find deals where you can."

If you've perhaps been living under a nice warm power brick, Jacob's memory apocalypse explainer is a good place to start, but the long and short of it is, yes, you can blame AI. Framework puts it into perspective this way: "The boom in AI data center construction and server manufacturing is consuming immense amounts of memory. A single rack of NVIDIA’s GB300 solution uses 20 TB of HBM3E and 17 TB of LPDDR5X. That’s enough LPDDR5x for a thousand laptops, and an AI-focused datacenter is loaded with thousands of these racks!"

Long quote somewhat shortened, AI datacentres need a ton of system memory to achieve the compute power the latest models demand. However, they also require a wealth of memory storage. Hence, it's not just RAM that's seeing surging prices, but SSDs and many other PC components as well.

So, while Framework is the most recent company to publicly announce price increases, it's worth noting that Lenovo, HP, and Dell have all warned customers of price hikes, too. Bottom line, picking up a PC is only going to get more expensive in 2026…and probably beyond, too.

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