DRAM shortage leaves $1 billion of Apple's iPhone chips unpackaged

Apple reportedly has about $1 billion worth of iPhone 18 Pro processor wafers waiting on packaging, delayed by ongoing DRAM memory shortages. The bottleneck is in packaging capacity tied to memory supply, not chip fabrication itself.

Why it matters: This shows the AI-driven memory shortage, which already forced Microsoft to ship laptops with less RAM, is now hitting flagship consumer electronics outside the AI industry as memory makers prioritize capacity for AI data center customers. It suggests the squeeze on DRAM and packaging capacity could persist into next year and disrupt other unrelated hardware launches.