TECH NEWS – Memory vendors are chasing ever fatter margins, and DRAM is starting to feel like a scarce commodity in the market.
DRAMeXchange, a publication that closely tracks contract pricing for DRAM and NAND, says negotiations are underway between memory suppliers and hyperscalers on new pricing agreements. Early indications suggest Micron moved first with a proposal that would raise contract prices by roughly 115-125% compared to Q4 2025.
It’s increasingly clear the upward trend isn’t about to stop. What matters just as much is where the long-term deals are landing: most of the contracts being signed this quarter reportedly focus on server DRAM, while the PC retail segment is pointing to shrinking annual shipments.
Demand is being pulled hard toward the AI ecosystem and effectively spread across hyperscalers, chipmakers, and server ODMs. DRAMeXchange characterizes the current situation as a full-on “seller’s market,” with buyers holding very little leverage on volume procurement. TrendForce, like other industry trackers, expects DRAM pricing to jump another 90-95% this quarter.
If spot pricing really doubles in a single quarter, the knock-on effect for consumer hardware will be immediate – especially once new laptops built around Intel Panther Lake and AMD Gorgon Point platforms hit broader availability. The outlook is also grim for consumer GPUs, with GDDR module pricing likely to track the same direction as DRAM.
Micron has already indicated its manufacturing expansion plans won’t meaningfully change supply dynamics until 2028. At the same time, suppliers remain wary of ramping DRAM output aggressively, which points to shortages persisting for multiple quarters. In other words, memory may stay overpriced not only this year, but potentially next year as well.
RAM isn’t the component most likely to fail, but sooner or later upgrades and faster kits become necessary. The simple takeaway is still the same: don’t buy memory at premium pricing if you can avoid it.
Source: WCCFTech
