bolt AI and tech · 2 min
Altman: RAM on your PC gets used only 5%
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Altman: RAM in personal PCs is used about 5% of the time.
Altman argues data centers get much higher DRAM utilization than PCs.
OpenAI has long-term deals with Samsung and SK Hynix for RAM supply.
OpenAI is building chips and data centers; TNW says robots could help.
On the Cheeky Pint podcast, Sam Altman called it "quite terrible" to have DRAM sitting in personal PCs. He said individual devices use about 5% of that memory.
Reports say OpenAI has long-term deals with Samsung and SK Hynix that reserve much RAM output. CryptoBriefing cites possible purchases up to 900,000 DRAM wafers monthly, about 40% of global output; coverage differs in emphasis.
format_quoteindividual devices put only about 5% of their resources to work.
Crypto Briefing
help What is not known yet
- Will OpenAI finalize the reported 900,000-wafer monthly purchases?
- How regulators will respond to concentrated memory buying?
- Exactly how long global RAM shortages will persist
forum Frequently asked questions
Did Altman really say PCs use only 5% of their RAM?expand_more
Yes. On the Cheeky Pint podcast he said having DRAM in personal PCs being used about 5% of the time is "quite terrible."
Has OpenAI reserved large amounts of memory from makers?expand_more
Yes. The Verge and CryptoBriefing report long-term deals with Samsung and SK Hynix that reserve much of future RAM output.
How big are the reported OpenAI purchases?expand_more
CryptoBriefing reports up to 900,000 high-bandwidth DRAM wafers per month, about 40% of global output.
Does anyone oppose Altman’s cloud-first view?expand_more
Yes. Sources note Apple and others champion on-device AI and privacy, so views in Big Tech differ.
newspaper Read next
link Sources (3)
- The Verge — The Verge
- thenextweb.com — Sam Altman says OpenAI will point its robots at building data centres
- Crypto Briefing — Sam Altman says local AI inference wastes scarce memory
How we work: only facts that appear in the cited sources; quotes checked word for word; no opinion and no predictions. Written with the help of artificial intelligence and reviewed by automatic rules.