Business · 2026-10-30
Sam Altman: it's better for RAM to be in a data center than on your desk
The OpenAI CEO argues that OpenAI's huge RAM purchases are justified, and that the resulting memory shortage is already making laptops and phones more expensive.
What Altman said
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, in an interview on the Cheeky Pint podcast, explained why the company needs so much RAM (memory). Asked about the current RAM shortage, he called it "terrible" to have RAM sitting in personal computers instead of data centers.
Altman said many people assume open-source AI models will solve the problem because they can run on their own computers, so data centers won't be needed. But from a global allocation perspective, he argued, it is very inefficient for a large share of the world's limited memory to sit in individual computers that are used only about five percent of the time. He believes that under supply constraints, memory should be used at maximum utilization in the cloud.
Why this affects your prices
Whether Altman meant gaming PCs or developer machines such as the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box or the new touchscreen MacBook Pro, the outcome for buyers is the same. Memory makers Samsung and SK Hynix have long-term deals with cloud operators and projects like OpenAI's Stargate, and they have reserved much of the world's RAM output for the next few years.
The billions being spent on chips is the reason laptops, phones, and other tech are getting more expensive right now. So when you plan to buy a new device, the memory shortage may affect the price even if the device itself hasn't changed.
Useful from the source
- Cheeky Pint (podcast episode with Sam Altman) — Video of the Cheeky Pint podcast where Sam Altman discussed the RAM shortage and AI's impact on math.
- SK Hynix (Q3 2026 business results) — Official SK Hynix page with the company's third-quarter 2026 results; SK Hynix is one of the major memory makers.
Sources: 🔗 The Verge — AI🔗 ITC.ua