Micron to retire the Crucial consumer line by February 2026 as focus shifts to AI data centers
Micron Technology will phase out retail sales of memory and SSD products under its Crucial brand by the end of February 2026. The company is reallocating resources toward enterprise customers and AI infrastructure, while continuing warranty and support for Crucial hardware already in the field. Micron says consumer-channel shipments will end at the close of its fiscal Q2, and Micron-branded enterprise products will remain available through commercial partners.
In practical terms, PC builders and retailers will continue to see Crucial DRAM kits and SSDs for a limited time as existing channel inventory works through. After that, consumer-facing sales under the Crucial label will stop. Crucial has emphasized that replacement and warranty claims will be honored.
Why now? Memory demand has tilted toward high-bandwidth parts for cloud and AI over the past year. Suppliers are prioritizing HBM and server-class DRAM that feed model training and inference workloads, which carry higher margins than mainstream desktop upgrades. Industry reporting frames Micron’s move as part of a broader realignment in the memory market as the AI buildout accelerates.
Several publications also note the knock-on effects for the DIY community. Crucial has been a go-to option for affordable memory and storage for nearly three decades. With the brand stepping away from retail, price pressure and product scarcity may persist for consumer DRAM and SSDs, especially if wafer starts continue to migrate toward HBM and server lines. Analysts tracking the market have already pointed to tight supply conditions and rising street prices through 2026.
Micron is not alone in chasing the same end market. Competitors have been scaling output and commitments for AI customers, and several manufacturers have indicated that capacity for advanced memory is effectively booked ahead. That environment helps explain why consumer SKUs are losing priority even when overall demand for PCs is steady.
For current Crucial owners, the change is less dramatic. Micron’s statements specify continued warranty service and post-sale support. For channel partners and system integrators, the near-term task is substitution. Expect more enterprise-labeled modules to filter into commercial builds where pricing and validation allow, along with a heavier mix of remaining consumer brands in retail.
Financially, the exit is small relative to Micron’s larger portfolio, but strategically it is clear. The firm is steering capacity toward parts tied directly to AI servers and cloud growth. Recent quarters and industry analysis show a sharp uptick in revenue related to advanced memory for data centers, which makes reallocating resources from retail a logical step.
