Memory Prices Skyrocket 10% This Week: Brace for Further Increases in 2025

Memory prices including DRAM are surging even more steeply in the new year. Despite prices soaring to record levels last month, the upward trajectory continues. As the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven DRAM boom is expected to continue this year, such upward momentum is anticipated to persist not only throughout the first quarter but throughout the entire year. NAND flash prices are also showing similar trends to DRAM. According to market research firm TrendForce’s latest memory spot price trend report released on Jan. 18, general-purpose DRAM prices in the second week of January (Jan. 7-13) rose by more than 10% compared to the previous week (Dec. 31, 2025 - Jan. 6, 2026). The chip recording the largest increase was DDR4 8 gigabits (Gb) 1Gx8eTT, which rose 12.26% compared to the previous week. The mainstream product DDR4 1Gx8 3200MT/s chip recorded an 8.14% increase over the week, while DDR4 2Gx8 3200MT/s also rose 7.50% during the same period. TrendForce analyzed that “spot prices are maintaining consecutive daily increases driven by solid contract price rises.” There are also projections that general-purpose DRAM contract prices in the first quarter of this year could rise by more than 60% compared to the previous quarter. This is interpreted as the result of AI demand combined with the peak season effects of PCs and smartphones continuing from year-end through early year. TrendForce forecasts that general-purpose DRAM contract prices will rise approximately 55-60% in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter, stating “first quarter DRAM suppliers are expected to focus advanced process nodes and new production facilities on server and high bandwidth memory (HBM) product manufacturing to respond to increasing AI server demand.” If this trend continues, DRAM prices are projected to set new record highs in the first quarter of this year. Previously, last month’s average fixed transaction price for PC DRAM general-purpose products (DDR4 8Gb 1Gx8) was calculated at $9.3, which represents the highest level since price tracking began in June 2016. As expected, DRAM prices in the first quarter of this year are projected to approach the $14-15 level. Storage memory NAND flash is also expected to see significant increases in the first quarter of this year, though not to the extent of DRAM. TrendForce projects that NAND flash prices will rise approximately 33-38% in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter. Accordingly, forecasts continue that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix setting new record-breaking performance is just a matter of time. KB Securities projected annual growth rates for DRAM and NAND prices this year at 87% and 57%, respectively, and forecasted Samsung Electronics’ memory semiconductor (DRAM·NAND) operating profit at approximately 133 trillion won, a 324% increase compared to last year. Among these, DRAM operating profit is projected at 108 trillion won, expected to drive approximately 81% of total memory operating profit. Kim Dong-won, KB Securities Research Division head, analyzed that “Samsung Electronics’ 2026 memory operating profit is expected to achieve record-breaking performance that exceeds the previous memory super cycle operating profit by 33 times, due to increased high-value memory shipments and price increase effects from AI data center expansion.” The securities industry also expects SK hynix’s operating profit to reach around 115 trillion won this year.