AWS raises GPU prices 15% on a Saturday, hopes you weren't paying attention

Post by jrs235 » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 1:17 PM UTC

haritha-j wrote: post #31

xvxvx wrote: post #12

- GPU prices rising - RAM prices rising - hard drive prices rising Are we looking at a future where home computers are replaced by thin clients and all the power lies in subscription services? ‘You don't need storage space, use our cloud subscription’ ‘You don’t need processing power, stream your games through our subscription service.’ Game publishers have already publicly floated the idea of not selling their games…

From a resource allocation perspective, this doesn't feel particularly undesirable, at least in terms of certain assets like vehicles. The current system of ownership is quite wasteful. I own a high end GPU that I use maybe 4 hours a week for gaming.

Post by mynegation » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 1:18 PM UTC

bravetraveler wrote: post #40

haritha-j wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From a resource allocation perspective, this doesn't feel particularly undesirable, at least in terms of certain assets like vehicles. The current system of ownership is quite wasteful. I own a high end GPU that I use maybe 4 hours a week for gaming.

Join us on the floor of the gymnasium, Carol

Post by aeyes » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 1:20 PM UTC

05 wrote: post #77

walthamstow wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You don't need storage space, use our cloud subscription This is here already. A long time ago, maybe even before covid, I asked a table of iPhone-owning friends who pays Apple a monthly sub for storage, and every hand went up. I know you mention home computers, but most of my friends don't have one. Their iPhone is their computer.

You tell me how to automatically sync photos across iOS+mac devices using non-Apple services. I'll wait. (hint: it's a monopoly, you can't use other services). Yeah, I know you can do a manual backup to e.g. Google Photos. It's not the same as seamless bidirectional sync.

Post by jstummbillig » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 1:21 PM UTC

lopis wrote: post #67

pm90 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its a market signal; we’re going to see a massive boom in investment (mostly from China, but still) in capacity expansion. Eventually the prices will stabilize.

The problem I've seen described by some is that the industry is resistant to expand capacity right now, because a partial pop of the AI bubble is expected aaany time now for months, but it keeps not happening. But if it does happen and they have too much capacity, the whole GPU and RAM industry would not be able to recoup that investment and would collapse.

Post by TrackerFF » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 1:21 PM UTC

muvlon wrote: post #55

xvxvx wrote: post #12

- GPU prices rising - RAM prices rising - hard drive prices rising Are we looking at a future where home computers are replaced by thin clients and all the power lies in subscription services? ‘You don't need storage space, use our cloud subscription’ ‘You don’t need processing power, stream your games through our subscription service.’ Game publishers have already publicly floated the idea of not selling their games…

I don't know how everyone arrives at that conclusion when the cost of the subscription services is also going up (as evidenced by the very article we're talking about). People who are renting are feeling this immediately, whereas people who bought their computers can wait the price hikes out for a couple years before they really need an upgrade.