The RAM memory crisis, now reaching the scale of an unprecedented phenomenon, may have pushed a giant like Qualcomm to reposition itself, deciding to produce them in-house in partnership with a specialized Chinese foundry.
SCOOP: According to JoongAng Ilbo, Qualcomm is developing custom mobile memory with China’s CXMT.
*Qualcomm did not respond to JoongAng Ilbo’s request for comment. https://t.co/6kWIuIKWRL pic.twitter.com/Zuq5mKDkaK
— Jukan (@jukan05) April 11, 2026
The rumor, conveyed by the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo, reveals very interesting countermoves by the American multinational, which in recent hours has been downgraded by PMorgan from Overweight to Neutral due to increased competitive intensity in the data center market and rising short-term uncertainties in the smartphone business (analysts expect a low double-digit decline in device shipments in 2026).
USA AND CHINA UNITED TO FACE THE RAM CRISIS?
Despite the White House directives aiming to localize the supply chain of key products for the hi-tech industry entirely on American soil, Qualcomm had already confirmed in the last quarterly meeting with investors that it had signed agreements with the Chinese ChangXin Memory Technologies identified as a memory supplier. Now, according to press rumors coming from Southeast Asia, it is ready to take the next step by intensifying the collaboration.
NEW PRICE INCREASES AHEAD
But the dramatic RAM situation continues to be felt firsthand by users. From this perspective, the just-ended week brought new price hikes, this time in the Microsoft product range with the 13” Surface Pro and Surface Laptop 7 which have jumped from $999 to $1,499 in their base configurations.
At the same time, Meta announced a price increase for its virtual reality headsets ranging from 30 to 70 euros: starting April 19, the Meta Quest 3S and Meta Quest 3 models will see a significant price hike: the 128 GB version of the former will rise to 359 euros, while the 256 GB version will reach 469 euros. The most advanced model, Meta Quest 3, will reach 619 euros.
What is astonishing is that the increases will also affect refurbished units; only accessories will remain unchanged. The news follows Sony’s sudden halt to SD card supplies, which also raised the prices of its PlayStation 5 again, as reported by Sony.
