Micron Technology has announced plans to discontinue its Crucial consumer brand in 2026, ending nearly three decades of RAM and storage sales to individual PC builders and DIY enthusiasts. The decision comes as AI data centers and hyperscalers continue to drive unprecedented demand for memory, offering far higher margins than consumer products.
Micron Technology will continue shipping Crucial products through the end of its fiscal second quarter in February 2026 and honor existing warranties. Enterprise hardware under the Micron brand will remain available, and staff affected by the Crucial shutdown will be reassigned to other roles within the company.
Enterprise Demand Outpaces Consumer Markets
The Crucial brand, launched in 1996 during the Pentium era, became a popular choice for RAM and storage upgrades, later expanding into SSDs, flash cards, and portable drives. Despite strong consumer demand, the surge in orders from AI-focused data centers has made low-margin consumer sales less viable.
Micron Technology Chief Business Officer Sumit Sadana explained that AI-driven growth in data centers has created a surge in memory and storage requirements. “Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments,” Sadana said.
Memory prices have increased sharply over the past months. For example, a 32GB DDR5 kit that cost roughly $82 in August now sells for approximately $310. DRAM contract prices have risen 171% year-over-year, reflecting the intense competition for available wafers.
Industry observers expect shortages to continue well into 2027. TeamGroup General Manager Gerry Chen noted that distributors are burning through remaining inventory and supply constraints are likely to persist as AI adoption expands.
AI Drives High-Bandwidth Memory Prioritization
Hyperscalers, including leading AI firms, are consuming high-bandwidth memory used in AI accelerators, such as Nvidia and AMD modules, at a scale far exceeding consumer demand. OpenAI’s Stargate project alone reportedly booked up to 900,000 DRAM wafers per month, representing nearly 40% of global output.
With enterprise orders paying significantly higher prices and delivered in bulk, Micron Technology has shifted production priorities to meet these high-margin contracts. The company has already presold all of its HBM (high-bandwidth memory) output through 2026, further limiting availability for consumer products.
Consumer-facing brands like Crucial, which once dominated the DIY RAM market, now face limited access to silicon as enterprise and AI demands take precedence. Laptop manufacturer Framework has already stopped selling standalone RAM to prevent shortages and anticipates price increases in the near future.
Balancing Growth and Community Legacy
Micron Technology emphasizes that the decision is driven by supply economics rather than weak consumer interest. Sadana expressed gratitude to the Crucial community, highlighting the brand’s reputation for quality, reliability, and innovation in memory and storage over the past 29 years.
As AI continues to reshape the semiconductor and memory landscape, manufacturers like Micron Technology are prioritizing enterprise customers and high-margin segments. The shift reflects broader industry trends where consumer products are increasingly deprioritized in favor of large-scale deployments supporting AI, cloud computing, and data-intensive applications.
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