Memory and Storage costs - Why have they gone up?

We have always tried to keep our memory an storage upgrade options at a competitive rate. However, we are not immune to outside pressures in global events, one of these being the mass shortage of memory modules. One of the main reasons for this shortage is the AI revolution. These AI Data centres require so much memory and power that chip manufactures are dedicated a lot of supply to them, leaving the general public struggling to find it. In addition, one of the  largest manufacturers of RAM (Crucial/Micron) have decided to withdraw from the market and cease production.  These two events have caused memory prices since Nov/Dec 2025 to skyrocket by at least 50% and there is no end currently in sight. Predictions are that memory and storage could reach another 50% by March 2026. It is difficult to predict when this will start to calm down and prices will normalise. There are more factories being built and brought into operation to handle this increased demand and so hopefully this will help to bring costs down in the future although in the short term, it is unlikely to have much effect.