Altman: DRAM in idle PCs is a bad global allocation
OpenAI's CEO said in a Cheeky Pint interview that cloud data centers should use the constrained memory supply instead.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in an interview with the YouTube channel Cheeky Pint that keeping the world's limited DRAM supply in individual computers that use it only about 5% of the time is a bad allocation from a global perspective. The interview was reported by polygon.com.
Altman argued that maximum utilization of computing in the cloud is preferable while supply remains constrained. He said people's intuition on the point is the opposite of his view.
He added that he hopes the costs of energy, supply and production will fall, and that supply must rise substantially for that to happen.
Shortage context
The memory crunch has weighed on hardware pricing. According to the article, the DRAM shortage has contributed to a $650 price for a PlayStation 5 and high costs for building gaming PCs, and OpenAI owns 40% of the world's DRAM supply from now until 2029. Sony also plans to end Blu-ray support in 2027 and produce only fully digital PS5s, according to the article.
Quick answers
What did Sam Altman say about DRAM?
The OpenAI CEO said holding the limited DRAM supply in individual computers used about 5% of the time is a bad global allocation, and that cloud computing should be used at maximum utilization instead.
Where did Altman make the comments?
In an interview with the YouTube channel Cheeky Pint, reported by polygon.com.