Samsung DRAM Prices Surge 60% Amid Shortage

According to industry insiders, Samsung is set to raise the price of several memory chip products by up to 60% in November, marking one of the company's sharpest month-over-month increases this year. The jump comes as global demand for AI data centers accelerates and supply tightens across the memory market.

Sources say Samsung — the world's largest memory maker — postponed its October contract-price announcement to reassess market conditions, noting that pricing is usually updated monthly. The surge in high-density server memory has already intensified cost pressures for companies racing to expand their AI computing capacity. It may also push up production costs for devices such as smartphones and PCs, which rely heavily on DRAM.

Tobey Gonnerman, president of Fusion Worldwide, highlighted that major server builders and data-center operators are struggling to secure enough DDR5 products and are now paying significant premiums. According to him, Samsung's 32GB DDR5 module price jumped from USD 149 in September to USD 239 in November. The company has also raised prices for 16GB and 128GB DDR5 modules by around 50%, reaching USD 135 and USD 1,194 respectively, while 64GB and 96GB options are up more than 30%.

DDR5 memory, widely used in servers and computing systems, plays a crucial role in speeding up data processing through fast, temporary data storage.

Executives and analysts note that the supply shortage has become severe enough to trigger panic buying among some customers. Despite the market strain, the situation is turning into a strategic advantage for Samsung. The company has been slower than its rivals in advanced AI chip development, and its profit recovery has lagged behind. Strong memory demand now gives Samsung more pricing power compared with competitors such as SK Hynix and Micron.

Jeff Kim, research head at KB Securities, points out that Samsung's slower shift toward AI accelerators has actually strengthened its influence in the memory segment. TrendForce analyst Ellie Wang adds that Samsung may raise its foundry prices by 40%–50% from October to December, surpassing the industry's average expected increase of about 30%.

“They're very confident about continued price growth,” Wang said, noting that many customers are actively negotiating long-term agreements lasting through 2026 or even into 2027.