TECH NEWS – If you don’t already have a DDR5 configuration, it might be a good idea to buy older memory now, because when production stops, you won’t be able to buy it from the major brands.

There is a growing interest and profit in HBM and DDR5 memory. Therefore, there are several DRAM manufacturers that are trying to stop production of older technologies that are no longer profitable for them. More specifically, DDR4 and DDR3 “sticks” will soon be leaving the production lines as Samsung, Micron and SK Hynix are also exiting this market segment.

Samsung stopped producing DDR3 memory last year, others have done the same (or minimized production if not), and now DDR4 may follow suit. DDR3 is now almost 18 years old, DDR4 is 11. The latter has been dominant in mainstream devices for a decade, but is now slowly coming to the end of its life as DDR5 gains ground.

Although DDR4 still has a larger share of mainstream consumer electronics, the change will begin in earnest in the second half of 2025, when the supply of older memory begins to decline. While larger manufacturers may exit the DDR4 and DDR3 markets, smaller manufacturers may take over as Chinese manufacturers (such as CXMT) look to increase their international share. Taiwanese manufacturers (Winbond, Nanya Technology) could also replace the larger companies as they exit.

If Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron also cease production, inventories will initially be reduced, and this could lead to price increases, unless other manufacturers can expand internationally by then, DDR4 memory will not be cheap (at least when new; memory tends to be quite reliable, so it is worth buying used, as it’s not something like a graphics card).

In any case, as technology advances, older hardware becomes obsolete, and memory is no different.

Source: WCCFTech