The scarcity of DDR5 memory isn’t solely fueled by hyperscalers and AI behemoths; bots are also playing a part. According to DataDome, malicious actors have initiated a widespread web scraping operation: automated scripts have already fired off upwards of 10 million requests to vendor websites, searching for available stockpiles of DRAM and components. These bots probe product pages roughly every 6.5 seconds, hitting them almost six times more frequently than typical users or legitimate crawlers. To ensure they receive the very latest availability status, they employ a “cache busting” technique: appending unique parameters to their requests, which forces the server to deliver current data rather than a cached version. Furthermore, the request frequency is carefully metered (“dosed”) to avoid triggering rate limits.
DataDome suggests that resellers are likely behind this campaign. While wholesale automated purchasing hasn’t been observed yet, the bots’ purpose is to rapidly locate scarce items, which are then swiftly bought up for subsequent resale. Researchers indicate that discussions in the darknet revolve around leveraging AI to bypass anti-bot defenses and automate these scraping scripts. Such tools are readily accessible to both novice operators and more seasoned practitioners. This situation unfolds against a backdrop of persistent DDR5 shortages that have been evident since last November. Demand is further stimulated by major cloud providers and AI-related projects. Projections forecast that DRAM prices could double in the first quarter of 2026, with NAND also facing significant cost increases. Already, some mid-tier cloud service providers are raising their rates, and manufacturers of entry-level PCs and smartphones face the risk of supply constraints. Consequently, bots are emerging as yet another pressure point on the memory market: they accelerate the “draining” of available stock and contribute further upward pressure on pricing, leaving regular consumers with virtually no chance to acquire scarce items at standard rates.
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