Up to 70%! Samsung & SK hynix DRAM Price Surge 2026
According to reports from South Korean media, the world's two largest memory makers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, are planning to raise server DRAM prices sharply by around 60% to 70% within the current quarter.
The main driver behind this surge is the explosive growth of artificial intelligence. Demand for AI servers has accelerated so quickly that leading chipmakers are shifting more production capacity toward higher-margin advanced memory, especially HBM. As a result, output for conventional DRAM has been squeezed, worsening the supply–demand imbalance and pushing prices much higher.
The upward price trend in the memory market has been building momentum since last year. Major industry players such as SanDisk, Samsung, and Micron have announced multiple contract price increases. In November, SanDisk lifted NAND flash contract prices by as much as 50%, while Samsung raised server memory contract prices by around 60%.
Market research firm TrendForce notes that in the first quarter of 2026, DRAM vendors will continue reallocating advanced process nodes and new capacity toward server and HBM products to support rising AI server demand. This shift is significantly limiting supply to other segments, driving traditional DRAM contract prices up by roughly 55% to 60% quarter over quarter.
NAND flash is facing similar pressure. Tight capacity control combined with strong server demand is crowding out other applications, potentially pushing contract prices for all NAND flash categories up by about 33% to 38%.
This supply shock, which began at the upstream wafer level, is now rapidly spreading downstream. The PC market is expected to feel the impact first. DRAMeXchange warns that DRAM price increases of up to 50% could seriously disrupt the PC supply chain.
There are also market rumors that Apple's long-term DRAM agreements with Samsung and SK hynix are set to expire this month. Against the backdrop of a global memory shortage and soaring prices, Apple's executive team is reportedly preparing for extended negotiations, aiming to secure a new three-year long-term agreement.
Reports indicate that the cost of Apple's current 12GB LPDDR5X memory chips has risen to about USD 70 per unit, marking an increase of roughly 230% compared with early 2025. Such steep cost pressure has also prompted executives from companies like Google and Dell to travel to South Korea to secure sufficient DRAM supply.
Industry consensus suggests that tight supply conditions are unlikely to ease soon. Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra has previously stated that the memory shortage could persist beyond 2026, signaling continued volatility for the global memory market.
