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OpenAI Boss Sam Altman Addresses Backlash After Saying It Was ‘Terrible’ for People to Have RAM in Their PCs
Sam Altman has responded to criticism of his claim that it is “terrible” for people to keep underused RAM in their PCs when memory could be used more efficiently in data centres. The comments were widely mocked as suggesting that personal computer owners should give up memory to meet AI companies’ needs, a reading Altman says missed his point.
Altman said he wants people to have as much RAM as they want and argued that production should increase to ease supply constraints. The AI boom has driven a shortage of memory, contributing to higher prices for graphics cards, consoles and other PC components; Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have raised console prices, while Nvidia’s RTX 5080 disappeared from its marketplace.
In short
- Altman says he wants more memory production and ample RAM for PC owners.
- His data-centre comments drew widespread criticism and jokes.
- AI demand has contributed to rising prices for gaming hardware.
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The case for
Altman’s underlying point is that scarce memory could be put to more productive use in data centres if personal computers hold RAM that their owners rarely use. With AI demand contributing to shortages and higher prices for consumers, improving how existing capacity is used could help ease pressure while more memory is produced.
The case against
People have a reasonable interest in choosing how much memory their own computers have, including for demanding tasks, future needs or simply to avoid frequent upgrades. Framing personal ownership of underused RAM as wasteful can sound as though consumers should bear the cost of an industry’s demand, especially when the shortage is pushing up prices for PC and console hardware.