> It's that AI companies are vacuuming up every DRAM chip on the planet and the rest of us get to pay the tax.

DRAM is priced based on supply and demand, like every other market.

When demand goes up, the price goes up for everyone. It’s not a “tax” on the rest of us in any sense. There’s just a lot of demand everywhere.

> That's not normal market dynamics.

This is actually a textbook example of markets functioning in response to a demand shock where supply cannot be increased rapidly.

I do find it interesting that so many people think “market rate” means the opposite of what economics teaches, and that prices should stay stable and not change much when the economic conditions change.

I also find it interesting to read all of the “we shouldn’t let them…” takes in response to this situation. The DRAM market is international. Trying to restrict it in one country would just see the data centers get built in another country.