Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and increased RAM usage: should we be concerned?

The Ubuntu 26.04 LTS version was released on April 23. Ubuntu is a key reason why Linux-based operating systems became popular for personal and educational use. The minimum RAM requirement for Ubuntu 26.04 (Resolute Raccoon) LTS has been increased to 6 GB, which poses a challenge for users with low-memory computers. Let's look at the facts behind this change.

Reasons for concern

Most users currently have laptops and desktops with low RAM (probably 4 GB). To run the new Ubuntu version effectively, they will need to upgrade their RAM. This increased RAM requirement will be difficult for Ubuntu users. RAM prices have risen significantly in 2026. This current price increase is due to massive demand from AI companies and a decrease in consumer-market RAM production. Large data centres that run AI services like ChatGPT need huge amounts of RAM. These data centres use RAM with higher capacity than standard computers. Manufacturers are prioritising these large companies (Microsoft, Google, Meta) for profit. This has led to reduced RAM availability for regular consumers.

Another technical reason is the shift from older DDR4 to newer DDR5. As manufacturers reduced DDR4 production, its price started to rise. At the same time, because DDR5 production is still not sufficient, it is also being sold at a high price. A major change in this situation is only expected toward the end of 2026.

Why was the RAM requirement raised?

There are technical and operational reasons for the increased hardware requirements (System Requirements) for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.
The GNOME Desktop Environment used by Ubuntu includes more modern visual effects and features with each update. The same applies to the KDE Desktop used by Kubuntu. These need more memory to run smoothly.
Today's web browsers and other applications require a large amount of RAM just to run. When using Firefox or Chrome, opening just a few tabs can push RAM usage close to 1 GB.
More RAM is needed for background services like system security, indexing, automatic updates, and cloud services to run without interruption.

What is the solution?

The primary solution is to upgrade your RAM capacity. However, new RAM is very expensive. Used RAM can be purchased at lower prices from online stores. You can buy an old 4 GB RAM to increase your current 4 GB to 8 GB. If your computer does not have 6 GB of RAM, you can use versions like Lubuntu or Xubuntu instead of Ubuntu. These are designed to run faster on low RAM. However, the new versions of Xubuntu and Lubuntu also have higher RAM usage. Alternatively, Debian Linux can be used to make old computers run quickly.