NAND Wafer Prices Jump 25% in February

Recent market data shows that memory spot prices climbed across the board in February, with NAND flash wafers leading the gains. Experts warn that as the gap between demand and available capacity widens, spot prices are rising sharply, putting increasing pressure on procurement budgets. If the trend continues, the industry could face cyclical instability.

Looking at specifics, the average price of DDR5 16GB (2Gx8) chips rose to $39, up 7.4% month-over-month, while 1Tb TLC flash wafers jumped 25% to $25, claiming the largest monthly increase. Although trading slowed during the Lunar New Year holidays, the market quickly rebounded afterward, sustaining the upward momentum.

DDR4 prices showed a mixed pattern. The 16Gb (2Gx8) model remained almost flat, inching up 0.26% to $78.1, while 8Gb (1Gx8) chips increased 6.8% to $33. Compared with the 20–30% gains seen in January, DDR4 price growth has noticeably slowed. DDR3 4Gb (512Mx8) rose 7.5% to $5.70, a move experts attribute mainly to seasonal factors rather than easing market pressure.

Contract price forecasts have also been sharply revised. TrendForce recently raised its Q1 2026 traditional DRAM contract growth estimate from 55–60% to 90–95%, with PC DRAM projected to double quarter-over-quarter—setting a new record. NAND contract prices were revised from 33–38% to 55–60%.

The primary driver behind these price increases is strong AI infrastructure demand, which continues to absorb server DRAM and HBM capacity, tightening availability for both traditional DRAM and consumer-grade NAND.

In the NAND sector, February's spot price surge is part of a longer-term trend. Since October last year, 1Tb QLC/TLC wafer prices have nearly tripled, and 512Gb TLC wafers have surged almost fivefold. This is largely due to manufacturers prioritizing higher-margin enterprise SSD production, reducing wafer availability for other modules and sustaining market price pressure.