DRAM and NAND prices jump 50%
- TrendForce said on March 31 conventional DRAM contract prices would rise 58% to 63% in 2Q26, while NAND Flash would climb 70% to 75%. - The firm tied the jump to suppliers shifting capacity into high-bandwidth memory and server products as cloud customers lock supply with long-term agreements. - Micron and SK hynix already posted record results as tight supply lifted pricing across memory markets. (trendforce.com)
Memory chip prices are surging again, with TrendForce forecasting second-quarter 2026 contract increases of 58% to 63% for conventional DRAM and 70% to 75% for NAND Flash. (trendforce.com) DRAM is the working memory that keeps data close at hand for processors, while NAND is the storage memory used in solid-state drives and phones. Both are commodity chips, so quarterly contract moves of this size are unusual. (trendforce.com) TrendForce said suppliers are reallocating wafer capacity toward high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, and other server-related products. North American cloud service providers are also using long-term agreements to secure supply for artificial-intelligence servers. (trendforce.com) That leaves less output for standard PC, mobile, graphics, and consumer memory. TrendForce said buyers with lower allocation fulfillment rates are being pushed into higher-priced purchases from suppliers or module vendors. (trendforce.com) The squeeze is showing up in company results. Micron reported fiscal second-quarter 2026 revenue of $23.86 billion on March 18, up from $13.64 billion in the prior quarter, and Chief Executive Sanjay Mehrotra said the quarter was driven by “a strong demand environment” and “tight industry supply.” (investors.micron.com) SK hynix reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of 52.5763 trillion won and operating profit of 37.6103 trillion won on April 23, both quarterly records. The company said strong artificial-intelligence demand lifted sales of HBM, high-capacity server DRAM modules, and enterprise solid-state drives. (news.skhynix.com) SK hynix also said favorable pricing conditions should continue for both DRAM and NAND Flash. The company linked that outlook to expanding artificial-intelligence workloads moving from model training into real-time inference, which uses large amounts of memory across servers and storage. (news.skhynix.com) TrendForce’s breakdown shows the pain is not evenly spread. NAND capacity is being steered toward enterprise solid-state drives, while consumer applications are scaling back under higher costs, and smartphone brands may adjust production plans starting in the second quarter. (trendforce.com) The result is a memory market where the highest-margin artificial-intelligence products get priority and conventional parts inherit the shortage. For buyers that waited for prices to cool in early 2026, the second quarter is delivering the opposite. (trendforce.com)
