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Micron Announces Exit from Consumer Business, to Shut Down Crucial Amid Global RAM Shortage

Micron Announces Exit from Consumer Business, to Shut Down Crucial Amid Global RAM Shortage

Micron said the decision to exit its consumer business under the Crucial brand was made to prioritise the AI demand.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 4 December 2025 11:36 IST

Micron Announces Exit from Consumer Business, to Shut Down Crucial Amid Global RAM Shortage

Photo Credit: Micron

Micron said Crucial will continue its retail operations and shipping till February 2026

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Highlights

Crucial was founded in 1996
Micron is the third-largest DRAM supplier globally
Shutting down Crucial could adversely impact the ongoing RAM shortage

Micron Technology, a US-based chipmaker, announced on Wednesday that it will wind down its consumer-facing business under the Crucial brand. The decision marks the end of nearly 30 years of selling RAM modules, solid-state drives (SSDs), and other memory and storage products directly to end users. The company said Crucial-branded products will continue to be shipped through retail, e-commerce and distributor channels until the end of its fiscal second quarter in February 2026. Micron also said existing products will remain eligible for warranty service and support. Notably, the chipmaker is shutting shop to focus on supplying components for AI companies.

Micron Shuts Down Crucial to Focus on AI Supply

In a press release, the company highlighted that the decision was made to prioritise “faster-growing segments” in enterprise and data-centre memory, driven by surging demand for memory and storage in AI data centres and other infrastructure. The firm said the move is aimed at improving supply and support for its larger, strategic customers rather than the retail consumer base.

“The AI-driven growth in the data centre has led to a surge in demand for memory and storage. 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,” said Sumit Sadana, EVP and Chief Business Officer at Micron Technology.

RAM Prices Are Now So High That Some Stores Are Not Printing Price Tags

Micron will continue to sell its enterprise-grade memory and storage products under its own brand to commercial customers globally. The exit effectively means that Crucial, once a household name among PC builders, gamers, and casual users upgrading laptops or desktops, will no longer get new product releases after retail shipments end. It is said that despite being a big name among consumers, Crucial's revenue contribution towards Micron was not significant, which could have played a role in shutting down the business.

However, the timing of the move is unfortunate as the market deals with a global RAM shortage. Fuelled by AI demands, end users have been witnessing volatile pricing, which has tripled in some regions in just a couple of months.

According to research firm TrendForce, Micron is the third largest supplier of DRAM after SK Hynix and Samsung, capturing about 25 percent of the market (Q3 2025 data). With the memory scarcity expected to continue for years, the chipmaker's exit will deal a big blow to the consumer markets.

Micron said it will reduce the impact on its workforce via redeployment opportunities into existing open positions within the company.

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Further reading: Micron, Crucial, AI, Artificial Intelligence, RAM Shortage, Enterprise

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Chief Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More