In a shocking revelation, Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of global memory juggernaut Micron, has predicted that the ongoing RAM shortage will persist through 2027. Mehrotra made this statement during the company's Q3 2026 earnings report, attributing the prolonged scarcity to an unprecedented surge in demand across all segments of the semiconductor industry, fueled by AI applications, and structural supply constraints. This situation has led to a significant price hike in semiconductors, including RAM, VRAM in graphics cards, and SSDs over the past few years. Micron, known for its popular consumer brand Crucial, exited the consumer market last year to focus on its booming data center-centric business. Consequently, components and systems used to build gaming hardware have experienced a steep rise in prices, affecting even high-end systems like the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Steam Machine. The original pricing of the Steam Machine was expected to be around $750, but due to the increased costs of underlying hardware, it launched at $1,050. Unfortunately, Mehrotra's comments suggest that the RAM crisis, or as some are calling it, the "RAMpocalypse," is far from over, with elevated hardware prices set to remain a constant in the gaming landscape. While industry supply may improve gradually in 2028, Micron does not foresee memory supply catching up with increasing demand anytime soon. This gloomy forecast might not bode well for the anticipated launches of future console giants like the PlayStation 6 or Xbox Project Helix, which aspire to offer affordable price points. Bo Moore, IGN's Senior Manager of Tech, shared these insights, reminding us that only time will tell how this unfolding scenario impacts the gaming world.