Memory prices could leap even higher as the supply of helium, crucial to making chips, is now impacted by the conflict in the Middle East

Memory prices could leap even higher as the supply of helium, crucial to making chips, is now impacted by the conflict in the Middle East | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Hardware ‘I think the fact that everything is scarce is fantastic for us’ says Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang ‘…in a world of constraint, you have no choice but to choose the best’ Memory The company that stopped making memory for gamers just explained how important memory is for gamers. Yeah, really Hardware How to make your very own semiconductor-class cleanroom in a wooden shed and build your own chips, well kinda Memory Industry insiders say Samsung has confirmed a DRAM price increase of ‘over 100%’ for its customers, so brace yourself for the next phase of the dreaded RAMpocalypse Memory It looks like more memory price hikes may soon be on the way, as Samsung and SK Hynix reportedly inform customers of yet another DRAM price increase Memory Explainer: The RAMpocalypse is making memory, SSDs, and even GPUs much more expensive, and it’s all down to AI Memory Phison CEO says ‘both money and inventory are insufficient’ as NAND prices continue to climb at an astronomical rate Gaming Laptops As if PC hardware news couldn’t get any gloomier, one research report suggests mainstream laptop prices could rise by as much as 40% Gaming PCs Top analyst firm Gartner predicts the ‘sub-$500 entry-level PC segment will disappear by 2028’, along with worldwide PC shipment decline of 10.4% in 2026 Memory Many consumer electronics manufacturers ‘will go bankrupt or exit product lines’ by the end of 2026 due to the AI memory crisis, Phison CEO reportedly says Memory Oh great, now copper prices are ‘surging’ and threatening to make PC hardware even more expensive Memory DRAM maker SK hynix has validated its next-gen LPDDR6 which would be great news for handheld PCs, except that the targeted market is AI devices SSDs Unfortunately, all of that doomsaying last year was correct and SSD prices are surging as a result of the memory crisis Graphics Cards Nvidia reportedly won’t release any new RTX graphics cards this year, and the RTX 60-series is said to be pushed back, too Memory Yes, Chinese DRAM is fine for gaming but don’t think for one moment that any of it is a bargain PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!MarathonArc RaidersBest PC gearQuizzes Hardware Memory prices could leap even higher as the supply of helium, crucial to making chips, is now impacted by the conflict in the Middle East News By Nick Evanson published 11 March 2026 There’s no quick fix to getting hold of ultra-pure helium, either. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Business Wire) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. 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From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Ask any PC enthusiast to make a list of all the materials that chip makers need to make the latest processors, GPUs, DRAM and flash modules, and you’ll probably be given a pretty good breakdown of everything required. However, they might not expect helium to be so critical to it all, and it turns out that the current situation in the Middle East is likely to seriously impact the crucial supply of it.This comes from Jukan on X, an analyst at Citrini, who has reported that major chip manufacturers, such as Samsung and SK hynix, are having to look at other ways of sourcing helium. This gas is used to flush out any other gases inside the wafer fabrication systems, and naturally, it needs to be extremely pure.”No Helium, No Semiconductors” — Samsung, SK Hynix on High AlertAs global logistics tensions escalate in the wake of the Iran crisis, South Korea’s semiconductor industry is facing supply instability for helium gas, a critical process material. Ships transporting helium have… pic.twitter.com/rrhGqgmrtLMarch 11, 2026More importantly, though, helium is a byproduct of the production of liquified natural gas, so the biggest suppliers of LNG also happen to be the biggest suppliers of helium. In the case of South Korea’s semiconductor industry, Jukan reports that 64% of last year’s imports came from one country: Qatar.Article continues below You may like Explainer: The RAMpocalypse is making memory, SSDs, and even GPUs much more expensive, and it’s all down to AI Micron says it’s not to blame for its high memory prices: ‘There’s just not enough supply to go around’ It looks like e