# Sam Altman RAM comment: why he called the memory in your PC "quite terrible"

> Two days after the remark, Altman met about 50 Samsung presidents in Korea, while SK hynix says memory demand will outrun supply through 2030.

- Publisher: NextDiff (https://nextdiff.com/)
- Section: Companies
- Author: NextDiff Editorial
- Published: 2026-11-02T09:56:42.504Z
- Updated: 2026-11-02T09:56:42.504Z
- Canonical URL: https://nextdiff.com/posts/sam-altman-ram-comment-samsung-memory-shortage/
- Topics: openai, data-centres, pricing, ai-chips, samsung

## In short

On an October 29 podcast, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said it is "quite terrible" for scarce DRAM to sit in personal computers used 5% of the time. On October 31 he met about 50 Samsung presidents in Yongin. SK hynix expects memory demand to exceed supply through 2030, which keeps PC and phone memory prices high.

## Key takeaways

- Sam Altman said on Stripe's Cheeky Pint podcast that DRAM sitting in personal computers and used about 5% of the time is "quite terrible" from a global allocation view.
- On October 31 Samsung hosted Altman with about 50 of its presidents in Yongin; Samsung's statement covers AI strategy and announces no new memory deal.
- SK hynix expects memory demand to exceed supply through 2030 and has sold more than half of its 2027–2028 capacity under long-term contracts.
- For buyers, that points to memory prices staying high: TrendForce measured DRAM contract prices up roughly 93–98% in Q1 2026.

The Sam Altman RAM comment started as one line in a podcast and turned into a week-long fight over who gets the world's memory chips. On an October 29 episode of Stripe co-founder John Collison's *Cheeky Pint* podcast, the OpenAI CEO said it is "quite terrible" for so much DRAM to sit inside people's own computers. Two days later he was in South Korea, talking to about 50 Samsung presidents. In between, SK hynix said the memory shortage behind all of this will last through 2030.

![Sam Altman on stage with Samsung presidents in Yongin](/media/fae6459c876a4ffd95c8.jpg)
*Image: Samsung Electronics (Newsroom, 31 October 2026)*

## What did Sam Altman say about RAM?

Altman was answering a question about local AI, models that run on your own laptop instead of in the cloud. According to [The Next Web](https://thenextweb.com/news/sam-altman-dram-samsung-presidents-cheeky-pint), he said: "From a global allocation perspective, actually, it's quite terrible to have everybody have a bunch of the world's limited supply of DRAM sitting in their own computer and being used 5% of the time."

His argument is about utilisation. Memory in your PC sits idle most of the day. Memory in a data centre serves many users at once, so the same chips do more work. "You want maximum utilization in the cloud if you're trying to deal with this very supply constrained environment," he said. He also told Collison, as [Moneywise reported via Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/quite-terrible-sam-altman-says-184500058.html), that "the invisible hand is failing right now."

The 5% figure is Altman's own estimate; he did not cite a measurement. And he was not talking about gaming rigs specifically, though that is how much of the internet heard it. The backlash on social media was fast, because PC builders already blame AI data centres for pushing memory prices up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMsUcCYNKqY&t=1747

## Why did Altman meet Samsung?

On Saturday, October 31, Samsung hosted Altman at its training centre in Yongin, south of Seoul, for a session with about 50 presidents from its electronics, finance and biotech affiliates. The theme was "the next 10 years shaped by AI".

[Samsung's own statement](https://news.samsung.com/kr/%ec%82%bc%ec%84%b1-%ec%83%98-%ec%98%ac%ed%8a%b8%eb%a8%bc%ea%b3%bc-ai-%ed%98%81%ec%8b%a0-%ea%b0%84%eb%8b%b4%ed%9a%8c-%ea%b0%9c%ec%b5%9c-ai-driven-%ea%b2%bd%ec%98%81-%ea%b0%95%ed%99%94) frames it as part of executive AI training, not a supply negotiation. It announces no new contract. It does recall the background: in October 2025 Samsung and OpenAI signed a letter of intent on AI infrastructure, and Samsung has been working to supply memory chips for OpenAI's Stargate data centres. Samsung C&T and Samsung Heavy Industries agreed then to develop floating data centres with OpenAI.

So the meeting itself was not a RAM deal. But the timing, two days after the DRAM remark and in the middle of a shortage, is why it was read as one.

## How bad is the RAM shortage?

The clearest numbers come from SK hynix, Samsung's main rival in memory. Its [third-quarter results](https://news.skhynix.com/en/q3-2026-business-results/) on October 28 showed record revenue of 104.6 trillion won and an operating profit of 83.3 trillion won, an 80% margin. The company said it expects "the structure in which demand exceeds supply to persist through 2030".

It has also locked in buyers. Long-term agreements with 14 major customers already cover more than half of its production capacity for 2027 and 2028. Its newest high-bandwidth memory, HBM4, is expected to overtake HBM3E in shipments and revenue this quarter.

![Timeline of the AI memory squeeze](/media/834cbe99c94648dbb0d3.jpg)
*Graphic: NextDiff, from SK hynix, Samsung, TNW and Moneywise reporting*

OpenAI is a large part of that demand. In October 2025, SK Group said OpenAI's Stargate plans could need up to 900,000 DRAM wafers a month. Moneywise estimates that is as much as 40% of global output, using TechInsights' 2025 production figures; that is a press estimate, not an OpenAI number.

## What it means for your next PC or phone

Memory makers sell the same wafers to whoever pays most, and AI servers pay most. TrendForce measured conventional DRAM contract prices up roughly 93–98% in the first quarter of 2026 and, in a September 30 forecast, expected a further 10–15% rise in the fourth quarter. Tom's Guide found a 32GB DDR5 kit at about $500, up from about $400 in April.

![A DDR5 laptop memory module](/media/ecaf1cce38404e458b71.jpg)
*Image: ITEagle Europe – Sebastiaan Broekhoven (CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)*

Expect laptops and phones to ship with less memory than planned, or to cost more for the same amount. That matters most in price-sensitive markets like India, where makers compete on specs per rupee.

## What's next

- **Watch the contracts, not the comments.** The real signal will be any new Samsung or SK hynix supply deal with OpenAI, which has not been announced.
- **Local AI is the counter-argument.** Apple, Qualcomm and PC makers are selling on-device AI as private and fast, which needs more RAM in your machine, not less.
- **Prices depend on new fabs.** SK hynix is ramping its M15X plant, but new fabs take years, which is why it talks about 2030.

OpenAI's money problems are part of this story too: read our report on the [OpenAI IPO funding target cut](/posts/openai-ipo-funding-target-cut-valuation/).

## Questions readers ask

### What did Sam Altman say about RAM?

On an October 29 Cheeky Pint podcast, Altman said it is "quite terrible" from a global allocation view for the world's limited DRAM to sit in people's own computers being used about 5% of the time. He argued memory is used better in data centres serving many users.

### Did OpenAI sign a RAM deal with Samsung?

No new deal was announced. Samsung hosted Altman with about 50 of its presidents on October 31 for an AI strategy session; its statement only recalls the October 2025 letter of intent to supply memory for OpenAI's Stargate project.

### How long will the RAM shortage last?

SK hynix said on October 28, 2026 that it expects memory demand to exceed supply through 2030, and more than half of its 2027–2028 capacity is already sold under long-term agreements.

### Why are RAM prices going up?

AI data centres buy huge amounts of DRAM and high-bandwidth memory, and memory makers prioritise them. TrendForce measured DRAM contract prices up roughly 93–98% in Q1 2026 and forecast another 10–15% rise in Q4.

## Sources

- [Samsung Newsroom — Samsung hosts AI innovation session with Sam Altman (31 Oct 2026, Korean)](https://news.samsung.com/kr/%ec%82%bc%ec%84%b1-%ec%83%98-%ec%98%ac%ed%8a%b8%eb%a8%bc%ea%b3%bc-ai-%ed%98%81%ec%8b%a0-%ea%b0%84%eb%8b%b4%ed%9a%8c-%ea%b0%9c%ec%b5%9c-ai-driven-%ea%b2%bd%ec%98%81-%ea%b0%95%ed%99%94)
- [SK hynix — SK hynix Announces 3Q26 Financial Results](https://news.skhynix.com/en/q3-2026-business-results/)
- [Cheeky Pint — Why Sam Altman is against a single superintelligence (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMsUcCYNKqY)
- [The Next Web — Sam Altman meets Samsung's presidents days after his DRAM remark](https://thenextweb.com/news/sam-altman-dram-samsung-presidents-cheeky-pint)
- [Yahoo Finance / Moneywise — 'Quite terrible': Sam Altman says the RAM in your PC is a waste](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/quite-terrible-sam-altman-says-184500058.html)
- [PCWorld — SK Hynix now expects the memory shortage to last until 2030](https://www.pcworld.com/article/3272346/sk-hynix-now-expects-the-memory-shortage-to-last-until-2030.html)
- [Bloomberg — OpenAI's Altman meets Samsung executives as chip crunch deepens](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-31/openai-sam-altman-samsung-executives-memory-crunch-deepens)