No one anticipated that OpenAI would put in an order for 40% of the global supply of memory in 2025. And then it became a mad dash for everyone and that’s why we are where we are today.
I really doubt that it was a surprise. The big cloud providers talk to suppliers (and potential suppliers) frequently to telegraph future demand, both the amount of parts and specs.
No it was a huge surprise. I bought a 512 GB Mac Studio for $9k in April 2025 which was market. Even as recently as Jan 2026 I bought a 5070Ti for $750, the retail price. Now it’s $1500. No one anticipated the effects.
OAI would be doing the same.