> the memory manufacturers have refused to budge on creating new fabs

That's EXACTLY how a free market is supposed to work. The existing memory manufacturers are FREE to not build new factories, and anyone else is FREE to build those factories in their place.

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t-writescode 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Then perhaps we’re seeing one of the downsides of that. When 0->1 is prohibitively expensive, existing players can continue to raise prices *very* high because cost-of-entry is extreme, until it’s not sufficiently extreme.

And then we have bubble issues because the introduction of a new, cheaper player, causes the bottom to fall out and for the circumstances that allowed the new manufacturer to exist to completely go away.

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leni536 41 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

In addition of being expensive, it's also a gamble. If it wasn't risky then I don't think financing it would be that big of an issue.

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dist-epoch 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

This is also caused by the FREE market - consolidation, all markets tend to consolidate around a few companies due to economy of scale.

The fix is regulation - we are going to have NOT-FREE-MARKET electricity, NOT-FREE-MARKET water supply, .... for vital services.

I'm not talking about you, it's funny to see anti-regulation HN complain about a FREE MARKET working as such. Suddenly it's not so fun where you are at the losing end of the free market when it turns out some are willing to pay way more for RAM than you are.

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carlosjobim an hour ago | parent [-]

Everybody needs electricity and water, but nobody needs more RAM except for companies. And they can pay for it.

	▲	Iolaum an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Hello!? Us consumers need it too.