This is an announcement that comes as a shock in the world of hardware. The manufacturer Micron has decided to abandon its famous Crucial brand, an essential reference for gamers for almost 30 years. From February 2026, Crucial products – RAM and SSD – will disappear from the consumer market.
In a context of soaring RAM prices and massive reallocation of resources towards artificial intelligence, this decision comes at the worst time for players. And the consequences could well extend beyond the simple PC world.
Crucial bows out after 29 years of service
Founded nearly three decades ago, the Crucial brand has long been synonymous with reliability and value for money in the PC component market. DDR4, DDR5 RAM, NVMe SSD: it occupied a dominant position among assemblers and major online retailers (Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy, etc.).
But Micron, its parent company, has made a decision. Starting February 2026, no more Crucial products will be manufactured. Stocks still available will be sold until exhausted. On the other hand, Micron promises to maintain after-sales service for existing products, without specifying a duration.
The reason for this withdrawal? A major strategic repositioning towards the AI and cloud infrastructure markets. The consumer sector would no longer be a priority in Micron’s new roadmap.
Explosive demand for AI that is absorbing production
The moment is anything but trivial. For several months, artificial intelligence giants, starting with OpenAI, have increased investments in high-performance servers. Result: demand for RAM is exploding, and manufacturers are redirecting their production to these more lucrative markets.
Micron has therefore chosen to concentrate its resources on the memory needs of data centers and AI architectures. An economically understandable choice, but catastrophic for end users. RAM prices, already rising since October, have tripled on certain models. 2×16 GB DDR5 kits, which cost less than $100 in early 2025, now exceed $300.
Consequences for players: PC, consoles and Steam Machine impacted
The disappearance of Crucial does not only affect PCists. Less supply also means higher prices for gaming console and computer makers.
Microsoft, already facing two price increases in 2025 on its Xbox Series, could be forced to increase its prices again in 2026. Valve’s Steam Machine, expected for next year, will not benefit from any price subsidy according to a software engineer interviewed: its price should be between 800 and 900 dollars. A sum largely influenced by the current cost of memory.
As for the PS5, Sony has not yet announced any adjustments, but the equation remains fragile. The end of Crucial also risks penalizing all those who planned to update their machine in 2026. Finding RAM or a high-performance SSD at a reasonable price could become a luxury.
Towards a prolonged shortage and a more restricted market
Crucial’s withdrawal comes at a time when alternatives are few and far between. Other manufacturers such as Corsair, Kingston or G.Skill risk seeing their demand explode, which could lead to new tensions on delivery times and prices.
In this context, players are invited to anticipate their needs: buy now what will be difficult to find tomorrow. Because at the rate the announcements are falling, hardware accessible to all could well become a memory.