Yes. RAM got expensive, because demand went up a lot.

> RAM got expensive, because demand went up a lot.

And supply failed to follow.

Is there a lot of new demand for the kind of RAM on a RPi?

This is not the same stuff as an H100 uses, and it’s not even made in the same facilities, is it?

A price increase in one market can displace demand to other markets.

A workstation user or gamer might want a desktop PC loaded with DDR5. But they'll also consider a desktop with DDR4 or even a laptop with LPDDR4X if they get more for their money.

So a rise in demand/prices for DDR5 can trigger a lesser rise in demand/prices for LPDDR4X

That's a good point that I had not considered, thanks.

I don't expect the RAM industry will respond to it with much increased output at the low end, though. They'll just enjoy these high prices on their current output, and focus their resources towards the high end where the margins are even higher.

The key is where the RAM comes from. The sources are the same companies/factories that are making memory for H100s....

The kind of RAM on an RPi uses the same wafers and fab equipment as the kind of RAM in a $40k GPU

Up to the finished wafer, right? Assembly is much more exotic for HBM, with 3D stacks, etc.

When one guy (or three) buy (or pinky promise to buy) your whole stock, and the rest of prospective buyers (a lot of them) cannot afford it, it's not "demand" as such.

[delayed]

This applies to all RAM.

The cost of 16GB Raspberry Pi is driven by the RAM. Everything else is a small addition to the BOM cost.

The 16GB was introduced when it was affordable. Now it's just becoming a mental obstacle for buyers who think they should only purchase something if they can get the top model. That's why I suggest everyone pretend it doesn't exist. Unless you really need it for something, the 4GB or 8GB can do most things.