RAM Showdown: Crypto’s Node Bosses Tell Sam Altman the Cloud Can Keep Its DRAM

Charles Hoskinson and David Schwartz joined Elon Musk in rebuking OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s call to move scarce computer memory from home PCs into AI data centers, arguing that independent crypto networks depend on the hardware now at the center of the dispute. Hoskinson joked that he uses 64GB of RAM to play Roller Coaster Tycoon, a theme park game from 1999, while Schwartz told Altman: “You can have my RAM when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.”

Altman made the case during an interview with the YouTube channel Cheeky Pint, saying: “A lot of people want local inference, and somehow they assume that the problem is solved now because we're going to have open-source models,” referring to running AI models on a user's own hardware. He continued: “But from like a global allocation perspective, actually, it's quite terrible to have everybody have a bunch of the world's limited supply of DRAM sitting in their own computer and being used 5% of the time.” Altman added: “You want maximum utilization in a cloud if you're trying to deal with this very supply-constrained environment,” and said: “And somehow, many people's intuition is the opposite of that.”

Musk responded on X on Sunday with a meme featuring Hans Landa, the Nazi officer played by Christoph Waltz in the film Inglourious Basterds, captioned: “You are withholding DRAM from the cloud, are you not?” He wrote: “The people deserve to have their RAM too!” Hoskinson shared his response on November 1, 2026, while Schwartz posted his message on November 2, 2026.

The debate carries direct implications for the XRP Ledger and Cardano networks, whose nodes are operated on independent hardware. The XRP Ledger recommends 64GB for its server software, while Cardano’s developer portal lists up to 24GB for a mainnet stake pool. Memory shortages could therefore raise hardware costs for operators securing ADA and XRP networks as SK Hynix forecasts a shortage until 2030 and AI demand continues to outpace production.

Altman said memory manufacturers’ caution has contributed to the supply squeeze, noting that for years, a DRAM producer “would invest $20 billion of CapEx to make $19 billion.” He said companies that nearly went bankrupt after overbuilding factories in previous cycles have been slow to expand, and added: “If it doesn't go down, I'll be very sad,” arguing that falling prices for energy, chips and other components require increased supply. Musk expects China to produce RAM in large volumes in 2028.

The exchange also extends Musk’s long-running dispute with Altman, who co-founded OpenAI with others in 2015 before Musk left in 2018. Musk sued OpenAI and Altman in 2024, alleging that they abandoned the organization’s founding nonprofit mission, after launching rival AI company xAI in 2023. A federal jury in California rejected Musk’s $150 billion lawsuit in May, finding OpenAI, Altman and president Greg Brockman not liable on all claims.