390 points by jnord 4 days ago | 340 comments on HN
| Mild positive Editorial · v3.7· 2026-02-26 03:07:03 0
Summary Information Access & Digital Transparency Acknowledges
This Ars Technica article reporting on HP PC supply chain economics demonstrates moderate positive alignment with human rights through free public information access and editorial independence, balanced by structural privacy concerns from tracking infrastructure. The content advances Article 19 (freedom of expression) and Article 13 (free circulation of information) through paywall-free distribution and substantive technical journalism, while privacy and tracking mechanisms create moderate negative signals under Article 12. Overall, the publication model and accessibility features support informational equity despite surveillance infrastructure.
Only a matter of time before you hear about missing shipping trucks being stolen. China is opening up more production, but I don’t see any relief coming soon.
i am working on my side-product [1] where i was exploring a Rockchip which required external memory (just 1G) which went from $3 to $32 and completely destroyed economics for me. I settled with one with embedded memory and optimizing my code instead :)
I think Europe should invest into manufacturing RAM. RAM isn't going anywhere, all of modern compute uses it. This would be an opportunity to create domestic supply of it.
This is a fairly odd statement given that BOMs are managed in manufacturing systems and for accounting and engineering purposes in multiple different ways. This can be for anything to do with sales data for a client or for guys on the factory floor or for the accountants. There are sales BOMs, manufacturing BOMs procurement BOMs and nested BOMs etc all for different parts of the business process...you would have BOMs within the organisation that were probably nearly 70% etc or those that were 0%!
I think we’re at the peak, or close to it for these memory shenanigans. OpenAI who is largely responsible for the shortage, just doesn’t have the capital to pay for it. It’s only a matter of time before chickens come home to roost and the bill is due. OpenAI is promising hundreds of billions in capex but has no where near that cash on hand, and its cash flow is abysmal considering the spend.
Unless there is a true breakthrough, beyond AGI into super intelligence on existing, or near term, hardware— I just don’t see how “trust me bro,” can keep its spending party going. Competition is incredibly stiff, and it’s pretty likely we’re at the point of diminishing returns without an absolute breakthrough.
The end result is going to be RAM prices tanking in 18-24 months. The only upside will be for consumers who will likely gain the ability to run much larger open source models on locally.
Isn't there a full wafer ai chip mainframe for data centers now that blows anything needing ram out of the water?
I don't understand the ram shortage exists companies have surpassed nvidia.
I suspect game development will be similar - game companies will optimize their games given customer cards are not going to be released for a while or will be too expensive.
> I think Europe should invest into manufacturing RAM. RAM isn't going anywhere, all of modern compute uses it. This would be an opportunity to create domestic supply of it.
It's easy to build factories, much more difficult to train the engineers required to run them... and let's not even talk about all the crazy regulations & environmental rules at the EU level that make that task even more difficult, because yes, chip factories do pollute... a lot.
Countries like South Korea or Taiwan have adapted all their legislations and tax, environmental regulations to allow such factories to operate easily. The EU and EU countries will never do that... better outsource pollution and claim they care about the planet...
The joke is that Apple RAM pricing is now close to market level, they still have margin in there even at market prices, and they are notorious for supply chain management and locking in contracts/prices ahead of time. So doubt Apple will change anything here short term.
On the flip side if you're buying a new computer in 2026 - it's going to be even harder to justify not getting a MacBook, the chips are already 2 years ahead of PC, the price of base models was super competitive, now that the ram is super expensive even the upgraded versions are competitive with the PC market. Oh and Windows is turning to an even larger pile of shit on a daily basis.
The worry is that these high prices aren't going to last long. And by the time you spend years building the capacity, the prices plummet making your facility uneconomical to run.
Ram will always be in some demand, but that doesn't mean it's viable for everyone to start building production.
Article represents independent journalism reporting on supply chain economics and hardware costs. Ars Technica editorial mission emphasizes 'News, reviews, and analysis' serving technologists, demonstrating commitment to informational independence.
FW Ratio: 57%
Observable Facts
Article authored by identified journalist (Scharon Harding, Senior Technology Reporter) with 10+ years reporting experience.
Site describes itself as 'Serving the Technologist since 1998. News, reviews, and analysis.'
Article contains substantive technical analysis of HP PC cost structure reporting RAM now represents 35% of bill of materials.
Content is freely accessible without paywall (has_buy_button:false).
Inferences
Named authorship and editorial mission statement indicate commitment to transparent, independent information production.
Free distribution model supports Article 19 principles by removing economic barriers to accessing information about technology policy and supply chains.
Reporting on corporate supply chain economics serves public interest in understanding hardware manufacturing trends.
Article implicitly supports freedom of assembly by publishing information relevant to technology communities. Tech reporting facilitates discourse among professionals and consumers.
FW Ratio: 67%
Observable Facts
Article is tagged with 'Desktops|HP|Laptops|RAM' for community discovery and discussion.
Content published on public platform enabling comment and sharing by readers.
Inferences
Tech reporting on supply chain economics enables informed discourse within technology communities and professional associations.
Article represents technical education and professional development for technology sector. Reporting on supply chain economics educates readers about hardware industry dynamics.
FW Ratio: 60%
Observable Facts
Article provides detailed technical analysis of HP PC cost composition, educating readers on supply chain economics.
Content freely accessible without educational paywall.
Text-settings accessibility features support diverse learning needs.
Inferences
Technical education through free journalism supports access to professional knowledge for technology sector workers and enthusiasts.
Accessible article design enables diverse learners to benefit from technical analysis.
Article freely reports supply chain information and technical specifications without geographic restrictions, supporting free circulation of information.
FW Ratio: 50%
Observable Facts
Article accessible from any geographic location without geofencing or regional restrictions (canonical URL shows global publication path).
Inferences
Free circulation of technical supply chain information enables global audience to access knowledge about hardware economics.
Article balances technical reporting with implicit recognition that technology development has societal implications. Supply chain reporting touches on economic and environmental dimensions.
FW Ratio: 50%
Observable Facts
Article reports factually on supply chain economics without sensationalism or misrepresentation.
Inferences
Factual supply chain reporting implicitly acknowledges that technology policy has community and societal dimensions.
Article content itself is neutral regarding privacy, but site infrastructure includes extensive tracking mechanisms that may compromise informational autonomy.
FW Ratio: 71%
Observable Facts
Page includes Snowplow analytics collector configuration pointing to c.arstechnica.com.
Google Tag Manager (GTM-NLXNPCQ) and Google Analytics embedded in page metadata.
Paywall-free access model enables broad distribution of information. Public accessibility without subscription barriers supports freedom of opinion and expression by removing economic gatekeeping.
Free access to technical educational content supports equitable learning opportunity. Accessibility features enable diverse learners to access information.
Snowplow analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Permutive audience cohorts, and ad-targeting infrastructure enable collection of behavioral data without explicit user control visible in article itself.
Text-settings accessibility features (size, links, width, position controls) enable equitable access to content for users with visual impairments or reading preferences.
build 1ad9551+j7zs · deployed 2026-03-02 09:09 UTC · evaluated 2026-03-02 10:41:39 UTC
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