Shopping for a new laptop or smartphone recently? It’s becoming quite challenging out there.
Why? The answer lies in two words: Memory crisis.
The surge in demand for computer memory chips (known as random-access memory or RAM) from AI data centers is driving up prices. While this may be inconvenient for consumers, it spells good news for shareholders of specific memory chip stocks and ETFs.
Why does AI require so much memory?
If you’ve been experimenting with AI for some time, you might recall that chatbots used to lack object permanence, much like a newborn. Until a couple of years ago, even the most advanced AI models could only remember the last few messages you sent them. They had no memory of past conversations.
This necessitates models with enhanced “memory” capabilities, or more precisely, models with significantly longer context windows.
Once again, this scenario is unfavorable for individuals seeking affordable phones or laptops. Nonetheless, it represents a lucrative opportunity for specific memory chip stocks and ETFs.
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Top 5 memory chip stocks based on 1-year returns
Displayed below is a list of the top 5 performing stocks in the Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM), the Tuttle Capital Concentrated Memory Stack ETF (HBMX), the Kurv Memory Select ETF (KMEM), and the Tema Memory ETF (DISK), ranked by their one-year returns.
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The highest-performing memory chip stock in terms of one-year return is Sandisk Corp (SNDK), with a gain of 3150.61%. |
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Ticker |
Company |
Performance (Year) |
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SNDK |
Sandisk Corp |
3,150.61% |
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|
MU |
Micron Technology Inc |
664.33% |
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WDC |
Western Digital Corp |
540.58% |
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AEHR |
Aehr Test Systems |
511.61% |
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|
STX |
Seagate Technology Holdings Plc |
487.16% |
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Source: Finviz. Data accurate as of August 13, 2026, and provided for informational purposes only. |
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sentence: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Rewritten sentence: The speedy brown fox leaps over the lethargic dog.