BREAKING: Elon Musk called the global memory chip shortage "the biggest price jump in anything I've ever seen"
Musk was agreeing with Apple CEO Tim Cook's hundred-year flood warning from a Wall Street Journal interview earlier this month. Cook said he had not seen anything like it in his 40 years in the industry.
Musk responded on X this week. He added that the production shortfall relative to demand is insane and that much higher production is needed.
DRAM and NAND chip prices have both quadrupled over the past year. AI data center buildouts have absorbed nearly all available memory supply.
Apple raised Mac prices by 15% to 20% and iPad prices by 15% to 25% on Thursday. The MacBook Air jumped $200 to $1,299. The MacBook Pro climbed $300 to $1,999. The iPad Pro rose $200 to $1,199.
Microsoft is raising Xbox prices by $100 to $150 starting August 1. HP, Dell and Nintendo have also raised prices.
Musk has been warning about memory specifically since January. He told Tesla's Q4 earnings call that memory could become an even bigger limiter than AI logic.
That is why Tesla, SpaceX and Intel announced Tesla Terafab. The joint project will combine logic chip production, memory manufacturing and advanced packaging in one facility.
Tesla itself depends on memory chips for vehicles, Optimus and FSD. Tesla has started hiring semiconductor workers for the new chip facility.
(Sources: @elonmusk on X and WSJ, June 25-26, AM.