(Preview) The Roots of a Global Memory Shortage, Thick, Thin and Apple, Shopify is Fine, Actually

Ben and Andrew discuss the global memory shortage and answer a listener’s question: how did this happen? Topics include: What memory chips have in common with logic chips, why Intel left the memory market in the 1980s, how the international shipping market explains today’s shortage, how major players will address the problem going forward, possibly with some help from the Chinese. From there: A look at the “thin” future of AI computing as memory and performance takes precedent, AI computing that will still be done on device, and Apple’s AI strategy. At the end: Responses to Shopify concerns in the AI era, a question about the future of brands as AI finishes what digital advertising started, Shopify preferencing its own AI tools, and a looming test of Apple’s commitment to the Vision Pro.

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Rampant AI Demand for Memory Is Fueling a Growing Chip Crisis — Bloomberg (bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-15/rampant…)

Thin Is In — Stratechery (stratechery.com/2026/thin-is-in)

Shopify Earnings, Shopify’s AI Advantages — Stratechery Update (stratechery.com/2026/shopify-earnings-shopifys…)

Dreamer – why we built it! — David Singleton (blog.singleton.io/posts/2026-02-17-introducing…)

Apple and the Ghosts of Companies Past — Stratechery (stratechery.com/2025/apple-and-the-ghosts-of-c…)

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