microSD cards could fix the consumer storage crisis driven by AI chip shortages

Full text

The impact of AI was much further-reaching than first imagined — and in the opposite direction. AI data centers are devouring memory chips, leading to a shortage across the industry, including consumer devices. We have seen products run out of stock (in the case of the Mac Mini) and even serious price hikes on top of already expensive OEM storage options. Having ample onboard storage is actually becoming a luxury feature that not everyone can easily afford.

This is a problem that we had solved long ago but are pretending to ignore the solution that sits right in front of our eyes. A teeny-tiny piece of tech from the forgotten era of the mid-2010s can easily fix all our woes — yes, I’m talking about microSD cards.