Mem-ageddon: AI chip frenzy to wallop DRAM prices with 70% hike

Memory prices are set to spike again as chipmakers prioritize AI server production over consumer devices, with analysts warning of a high double-digit jump in Q1 2026 alone as demand outpaces supply.

Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are reportedly planning to raise server memory prices by up to 70 percent this quarter, according to Korea Economic Daily. Combined with 50 percent increases in 2025, this could nearly double prices by mid-2026.

The two Korean giants, alongside US-based Micron, dominate global memory production. All three are reallocating advanced manufacturing capacity to high-margin server DRAM and HBM chips for AI infrastructure, squeezing supply for PCs and smartphones.

Financial analysts have raised their earnings forecasts for the firms in response, as they look to benefit from the AI infrastructure boom that is driving up prices for everyone else.

Taiwan-based market watcher TrendForce reports that conventional DRAM prices already jumped 55-60 percent in a ...