Micron will discontinue its ‘Crucial’ branded RAM and SSD products, leaving PC gamers with limited options amid surging prices.
According to a report from Reuters, Micron Technology has announced a strategic pivot that will have a major impact on the consumer PC hardware landscape. The company confirmed that it will discontinue its ‘Crucial’ line of consumer-branded RAM and SSD products, stepping away from a market it has served for decades. The decision comes as Micron doubles down on supplying advanced memory chips for AI data centers during the existing supply shortage of the essential semiconductors.
According to the report, Micron will halt the sale of the ‘Crucial’ unit’s consumer-branded products at retailers, e-tailers and distributors worldwide, though shipments will continue through February 2026 to ease the transition. While disappointing for PC gaming enthusiasts, analyst note that this move is not expected to disrupt Micron’s overall business trajectory. As Summit Insights analyst Kinngai Chan pointed out, the consumer memory division “is not an important driver of Micron’s business.”
The company’s retreat from consumer memory is part of a larger pivot toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a critical component for AI servers and large-scale compute clusters. Micron has been aggressively expanding into this segment, now one of the most competitive arenas among top global suppliers including Samsung and SK Hynix. “The AI-driven growth in the data center has led to a surge in demand for memory and storage,” said Sumit Sadana, Micron’s chief business officer. He added that “Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business in order to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments.”
HBM technology, which stacks chips vertically to improve data throughput while reducing power consumption, gains far higher margins than traditional consumer RAM or SSD products. Its importance is reflected in Micron’s financial performance, as CEO Sanjay Mehrotra noted that HBM revenue reached nearly 2 billion US Dollars in the August quarter, suggesting an annual run rate close to 8 billion US Dollars.
The exit of Crucial, a brand long associated with dependable, reasonably priced memory, will tighten an already strained market for enthusiasts. With semiconductor shortages persisting and fewer major consumer suppliers remaining, PC gamers may soon face higher prices and fewer reliable options when upgrading their systems.
