It's the end of an era. The DDR3 standard is becoming a thing of the past

Memory standard DDR3 debuted on the market in 2007. Since then, two more, much more efficient and energy-saving generations have appeared in the consumer segment – DDR4 and DDR5. However, the old RAM is still used in simpler and cheaper devices, such as routers and switches.

The Koreans are focusing on HBM3 for AI accelerators

However, it seems that it's the end of an era. Two of the three largest DRAM manufacturers in the world, companies Samsung and SK hynixinformed about closure of its DDR3 production lines. Supplies of old-type memory chips from South Korea are about to end in the second half of this year.

The reason for this situation is simple – the desire for profit. You can earn much more on currently more popular solutions such as DDR5 and HBM3 memory. The second standard is especially in the spotlight due to the artificial intelligence craze and the demand for AI accelerators.

SK hynix stock for HBM3 memory is reportedly sold out for all of 2024 and most of 2025. This is expected to lead to 5-10% price increases for dice. So the Koreans want to make room for new production lines that will allow for… increasing processing capacity and meeting market needs. Although there is no data on what it looks like at Samsung, it should be assumed that we are talking about an identical situation.

Of course DDR3 memory will not completely disappear from the market. So far, there are no reports of this happening Micron Whether Nanya limited and/or stopped their production. However, less supply will certainly lead to price increases. This will, over time, kill this standard in favor of more widely available chips such as DDR4.