TL;DR: AI giants can afford all the memory they need. Everyone else will pay the price. Companies like Alphabet, Microsoft, and OpenAI are buying up massive amounts of memory to power their AI ambitions, taking up supply that would normally go to consumer tech. The result: higher prices, delayed products, and fewer upgrades for phones, laptops, and TVs. Enter: the “RAMageddon.”

What happened: Building out AI infrastructure is a memory-intensive business. The servers powering chatbots, copilots, and AI tools run on specialized chips that consume vastly more RAM (aka the workhorse of virtually all tech) with each new generation. As tech giants use their deep pockets to snap up millions of these chips to build out data centers, they're consuming a disproportionate share of global memory production.

As of 2021, just three companies—Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron—control over 90% of the world’s DRAM (dynamic random access memory), and right now, they’re allocating more supply to AI infrastructure than personal devices. While suppliers are planning to build new memory fabrication plants, increases in supply likely won’t arrive for years. For now, the pressure is already showing up in prices: The cost of one major kind of DRAM jumped 75% in just a month, from December 2025 to January 2026.

Why it matters: RAM allows your phone to juggle apps, your laptop to run software, and your TV to stream Netflix without freezing. The problem is who's buying it. Tech giants can secure RAM at almost any price, leaving consumer tech companies and their customers competing for what’s left.

What’s affected: Chipmakers like Qualcomm have warned that smartphone manufacturers will face tighter memory supplies and higher costs. (Apple’s feeling the squeeze.) According to The Verge, laptop makers including Lenovo, Dell, and HP are reportedly planning price increases of 10% to 30% to offset rising expenses. Gaming hardware has also taken a hit: Sony’s next PlayStation could get delayed until 2029, and the Nintendo Switch 2 may be more expensive. Even TVs are likely to become pricier, with research firm TrendForce calling increases "unavoidable” and predicting global supply down almost 1%. The squeeze is especially hard on smaller companies, and in some cases, that could mean canceled products. Or companies exiting markets entirely.

What’s next: Industry leaders expect tight supply and elevated prices could continue for years—right now, 2028 looks like the base case for things to go back to normal. It’s not quite like the great Toilet Paper Panic of 2020, so shelves aren’t likely to go empty overnight, but analysts warn consumers will increasingly see higher prices, delayed launches, or devices that deliver less for the same cost. For a list of products affected by the RAM shortage, click here. —AC

This app cut my social screen time in half

In the ever-expanding universe of apps designed to save you from yourself, Opal might be my favorite digital hall monitor. It’s a screen time management app that lets you block specific apps on a schedule you control. You set “Focus Sessions” with custom parameters—by time, by day, or both.

My setup is somewhat aggressive: Social apps are blocked entirely during the workday, again from 9pm to 11pm at night, and from 8am to 11am on weekend mornings. I also have a 30-minute usage cap per day. If I absolutely must get in (I work in news and have a very active group chat), I can override the block, but Opal makes me pause long enough to question my life choices first.

Did it work? Yes, annoyingly well. My social screen time dropped more than 50% in the first week of use, and six months later, it’s still about the same.

The Good: I actually like that Opal lets me override restrictions when necessary (for work, of course). It also adds small moments of mindfulness, like prompting you to take a breath before unlocking an app. I don’t always comply, but it’s nice to be reminded to breathe by someone that isn’t my spouse.

There’s also a gamified reward system involving collectible gemstones you earn for staying focused. Truthfully, I don’t understand it at all, but this may appeal to Lord of the Rings fans or Catan players who might enjoy this kind of spiritual quest.

Finally, there’s obviously a shame component. Not only does the app show you how many times you simply even picked up your phone (alarming!), it also says things like, “In the 4 hours and 20 minutes you spent on Instagram this week, you could have read 260 pages of a book.”

The Bad: Opal isn’t cheap. The full version costs $8.29 per month or roughly $100 per year, which is a lot to pay for deterrence. (Though, considering the weird stuff I’ve bought while scrolling Instagram, I still think I’m saving money on net.) The interface can also feel a little clunky. Menus aren’t always intuitive, and sometimes you’ll spend extra time figuring out how to adjust a setting. That said, the friction is kind of the point.

Verdict: Signal —AC

Disclosure: Companies may send us products to test, but they never pay for our opinions. Our recommendations are unbiased and unfiltered, and Tech Brew may earn a commission if you buy through our links.

If you have a gadget you love, let us know and we may feature it in a future edition.

Just like a fast-evolving virus, AI seems to bring us a new strain of slop every day. This time, it’s “grievance slop.” According to the Financial Times, workplace complaints that appear to be AI generated are flooding HR departments in the UK. Flags about bad behavior that once fit in a short email have ballooned into sprawling documents—sometimes 30 pages long—citing Canadian legislation, made-up case law, and irrelevant historical detail.

One employment lawyer described the filings as "confidently incompetent." Another expert noted that employees may be wildly overestimating what they'll get out of these complaints. It's not hard to see why: AI is a born yes-man, eager to validate your grumblings and provide a bunch of legalese to prop it up. Didn't get the corner office? ChatGPT says it violates the Geneva Conventions. Someone microwaved fish in the break room? A clear-cut case of olfactory warfare, as established in Stinck v. Office Manager.

The kicker: These badly argued HR filings are adding real strain to the legal system. UK employment tribunal cases rose by 33% in three months last year, while the number of concluded cases dropped by 10%. At this rate, they’ll need AI judges just to wade through all the complaints citing Dunder Mifflin's workplace misconduct policy. —WK

Chaos Brewing Meter: /5