| | | DRAM Prices Surge 22% in April Amid IT Manufacturers' Rush to Secure Chip Inventory
- Editor Kim Eun-jin
- 2025.05.02 18:05
As IT device manufacturers move to secure chip inventories due to Trump-induced tariff risks, the fixed transaction prices for DRAM and NAND in April have soared. With prices rising not only for ultra-high-priced memory such as high bandwidth memory (HBM) but also for general-purpose DRAM, it is expected to have a positive impact on the second quarter performance of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
According to market research firm DRAMeXchange on April 30, the fixed transaction price for DDR4 8Gb (gigabyte) products, a general-purpose DRAM used for PCs, was recorded at $1.65, up 22.22% from March. The fixed transaction price for 128Gb Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND, used for memory cards and USBs, also rose 11.06% from March to $2.79.
Fixed transaction prices are the prices at which semiconductor companies like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix supply to large customers. The price increase is attributed to IT device manufacturers, who have depleted their memory inventories, making large-scale purchases of semiconductors. Industry experts believe that major PC companies have moved to secure memory inventories in advance due to the U.S. government’s announcement of reciprocal tariffs and the 90-day grace period.
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix anticipate that this trend could present an opportunity for sales growth in the second quarter. Kim Kyu-hyun, head of DRAM Marketing at SK Hynix, said at the Q1 earnings announcement held on April 24, “From the end consumer’s perspective, there is a possibility that they might rush to make purchases before price increases (due to tariff effects), which could potentially stimulate replacement demand.”
businesskorea.co.kr |
|
