Asus Shuts Down Fake News Regarding RAM Chips Production

ISLAMABAD: A widely circulated report suggesting that Asus plans to begin manufacturing memory chips has been dismissed as false, with the company itself now directly rejecting the claim.

The rumor emerged amid a severe global memory shortage that has driven DDR5 DRAM IC spot prices to roughly four times their previous levels, with retail prices climbing even higher. Against this backdrop, some reports speculated that Asus could step in to ease supply pressures by producing its own memory. However, Taiwanese state media outlet Central News Agency sought clarification from Asus, and the company’s response was unambiguous.

According to Central News Agency, Asus stated that it has “no plans to invest in a memory wafer fab.” The company added that it will instead continue working closely with existing memory suppliers, adjusting product specifications and optimizing product life cycles in response to market supply and demand.

This position aligns with Asus’ long-standing business model. While the company designs and sells a wide range of consumer products, including laptops, motherboards, and graphics cards, it relies on third-party manufacturers for core chips such as processors and memory. Entering memory IC production would require not only significant capital investment, but also specialized intellectual property and decades of manufacturing experience that Asus does not possess.

Timeline Raises Further Doubts

The original report claimed Asus could begin shipping RAM products in the second half of next year, which is quite unrealistic, as even established semiconductor companies typically need multiple years to build and qualify memory production lines, and that assumes existing expertise in DRAM manufacturing.

There is also a distinction between producing memory modules and manufacturing memory chips. While assembling modules is far simpler, it would not address the underlying shortage of DRAM ICs that is driving current price increases.

Origin of the Rumor

The claim appears to have originated from Iranian technology outlet SakhtAfzar, which cited unnamed “proprietary and reliable reports.” While the publication has previously shared accurate leaks, including early details of AMD’s Ryzen 8000G desktop APUs, this report has been widely criticized for conflating memory modules with memory IC production.

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Following Asus’ denial, the report is now viewed largely as speculation driven by frustration over the ongoing memory crunch rather than by concrete evidence.

Industry estimates on when the memory shortage may ease vary widely, ranging from the second half of 2026 to as late as 2028. Memory manufacturers have so far shown little urgency to expand production, benefiting instead from unusually high margins in a market that typically operates like a commodity.

For consumers and PC builders, however, the situation offers little relief, with high prices expected to persist in the near term.