Memory Chip Prices Are Still Rising, Just More Slowly
TrendForce expects DRAM contract prices to rise 10% to 15% this quarter, after an estimated 93% to 98% jump in the first quarter. Softer consumer demand and long-term contracts are slowing the climb.
Part of the running storyAI Memory for 2027 Is Sold Out Before It's Made: What the Evidence SaysMemory chip prices haven’t turned down; they are climbing more slowly. TrendForce, a Taiwan-based market tracker, expects contract prices for conventional DRAM, the working memory in servers, PCs and phones, to rise 10% to 15% this quarter, after an estimated 93% to 98% jump in the first quarter.
Consumer demand is under pressure and much of the rise in phone memory was priced in earlier, the firm said on 30 September, while long-term contracts with big cloud buyers hold some suppliers’ server prices below the market’s. Enterprise SSDs, the flash drives in data centers, are the only memory product it expects to get dearer faster than last quarter.
DRAM was about three-quarters of Micron’s (MU) sales last fiscal year, its annual report shows. Our read on the 2027 memory story explains what the slowdown means for the makers.
What to watch: TrendForce’s first-quarter 2027 forecast, due around the turn of the year (this year’s came on 5 January). Anything below this quarter’s range would make it four quarters in a row of smaller increases, by TrendForce’s figures.
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Mostly Markets is for information and education only and isn't investment advice. Dev Malhotra is a pen name. Prices are from Nasdaq and CNBC as of the time stated.
