HP forced to turn to Chinese memory makers over DRAM supply shortage

AI companies are gobbling up all memory across the world, resulting in skyrocketing prices for memory modules for consumers. As memory supply constraints continue to grow OEMs are being forced to turn to alternative suppliers for memory, with Barron's analyst Tae Kim reporting HP is struggling to obtain supply, and is now looking to add Chinese memory suppliers to its list of component suppliers.

HP is reportedly looking to ship "limited" products into Asia and Europe. Kim also wrote that since supply is drying up from memory suppliers such as Micron, Samsung, and others, OEMs such as HP will begin to turn to Chinese memory manufacturers such CXMT, as the company's DRAM wafer output is estimated to reach up to 300,000 units per month in 2026, and while that figure is low compared to some of the other players in the market, CXMT is renowned for its DDR5 module supply, and its lack of HBM adoption.

CXMT is looking to raise $4.2 billion USD to expand production. One of the hurdles HP will need to overcome if it decides to go with a Chinese supplier such as CXMT is US regulations on sourcing semiconductors from China. Given the current situation of memory supply and the insatiable demand for more memory, it's likely new regulations are going to be put into place around seeking supply from Chinese memory makers. HP is reportedly acquiring supply from a Chinese memory maker to ship a "limited" range of products in Asia and Europe.

• "Unlike the proprietary AI chips made by NVIDIA, memory chips are commodities, meaning they can be easily replaced. There is a higher degree of disruption risk. It may be a year from now or later, but there is real potential for Chinese companies to expand aggressively into the memory chip and flash memory space," wrote Kim