Micron Forecasts 278GB of Memory Chips per Vehicle by 2026, Up 208.89% from 2023

During its earnings call, Micron disclosed that the average DRAM and NAND storage capacity per vehicle in 2023 was 90 GB, projected to surge to 278 GB by 2026—an increase of 208.89%. High-end models could require up to 2 TB of storage. Paul Jacobson, Chief Financial Officer of General Motors, stated that rising prices of automotive components such as DRAM are expected to add $1.5–2 billion in costs for the company by 2026, prompting GM to plan a 0.3% increase in new vehicle prices. According to industry analysis, storage requirements for conventional vehicles in 2026 will be distributed as follows: infotainment systems will need 4–16 GB; ADAS and safety systems will require 8–32 GB; central control systems will need a minimum of 16 GB and potentially over 64 GB; and in-vehicle AI assistants will demand more than 256 GB. Micron also forecasts that Level 4 autonomous driving will require at least 300 GB of memory. Additionally, U.S.-based consulting firm AlixPartners noted that AI applications are expected to account for 48% of total DRAM usage by 2028, up from 32% in 2023. Although the automotive sector represents only about 10% of total DRAM consumption, surging demand from AI and data centers is increasingly crowding out automotive-grade memory chip production capacity, leading to supply constraints and higher prices.