The recent hardware component to be impacted by component shortage is the DDR5 memory. It is out of stock across all major retailers due to Major Component Shortages.
The Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Desktop features DDR5 memory, and it is one of the most striking features of this series. Many users who purchased the processor and motherboard are now anxiously waiting to purchase the DDR5 memory kits. It was anticipated that the kits will be available soon, but the component shortage crisis is worse than expected. Reportedly, the main component of DDR5 DIMMs, the PMIC (Power Management Integrated Circuit) is facing a severe shortage.
Different tech board channels have reported a low supply of the PMIC chip. Moreover, the cost to purchase that chip is also 10 times higher than what the makers had to pay with DDR4 for the same chip. However, with the DDR5 standard, the power management shifts from the motherboards to the memory module itself. For this reason, it needs a specialized chip to be utilized for power management.
Now that there is a shortage of PMIC’s worldwide, it has also led to the shortage of DDR5 memory. It is expected that the prices will get even higher till the shortage issue is resolved. Reportedly, the time to procure DDR5 PMIC chips is 35 weeks at a minimum. It implies that the shortage could last till the middle of the coming year. The DDR5 is expected to be over 60% more costly than DDR4 memory and will supposedly take up to 2 years to sink to the price of DDR4 memory.
Via 12Chip