Samsung DRAM & NAND Prices Set to Rise 5%–30%
After Micron paused quotations last week and signaled broad price increases, Samsung has reportedly informed clients that Q4 contract prices for DRAM—including LPDDR4X, LPDDR5, and LPDDR5X—will rise by 15%–30%, while NAND prices are set to increase 5%–10%. Industry watchers expect that with both Micron and Samsung raising prices, downstream buyers may rush to stock up, further driving the ongoing memory price surge.
Analysts point out that in the first half of this year, the top three memory makers focused resources on HBM production and had reduced DDR4 supply. Now, with industrial and automotive customers gradually shifting to DDR5, combined with strong AI-driven DDR5 demand and upcoming consumer electronics peaks like Singles' Day and Christmas, buyers are actively replenishing inventories, tightening supply and demand.
Last week, Micron led the trend by suspending quotations and forecasting average DRAM price hikes of 20%–30% across DDR4, DDR5, LPDDR4, and LPDDR5, with automotive memory products potentially rising as much as 70%. Samsung quickly followed suit this week, demonstrating confidence in the market and control over pricing. Industry sources indicate that with DDR4 and DDR5 pricing reaching equilibrium, DDR5 price hikes are expected to accelerate adoption, prompting Samsung's LPDDR5/5X DRAM increase of up to 30%. NAND increases, though milder, signal that the memory market is entering a broad bullish cycle.
Market analysts expect Taiwan-based companies such as Nanya Technology and Winbond to benefit directly, while memory module makers including ADATA, TeamGroup, and Transcend may also see expanded profit potential amid the price cycle.
Currently, industry observers note that downstream inventory levels have returned to healthy ranges. As prices rise, companies are likely to stock up in advance to avoid higher costs later. Analysts predict that this round of memory price increases could continue through the end of this year and potentially into the first half of next year.
