DRAM Prices Reach 6-Year High, Quadrupling in Six Months
Shift to HBM Production and Increased Server Demand Fuel Historic Surge
By Kim Seong-min
Published 2025.10.01. 15:11Updated 2025.10.01. 18:47
As memory semiconductor prices have surged to unprecedented levels, analysis suggests a semiconductor super cycle is materializing.
According to market research firm D??????, the average fixed transaction price of PC DRAM commodity products (DDR4 8Gb) in September was $6.3, up 10.53% from the previous month. This marked the first time since January 2019—over 6 years and 8 months ago—that the average fixed transaction price of DDR4 has exceeded $6.
DRAM prices began rising in April of this year, surging 22.22% from the previous month, followed by increases of 50% and 46.15% in July and August, respectively. Compared to March of this year, when the fixed transaction price was $1.35, prices have quadrupled to 4.6 times within half a year. This surge stems from reduced DRAM supply as memory semiconductor companies like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix focus on producing HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) for AI accelerators, coupled with increased demand from global IT companies replacing older servers.
A peculiar phenomenon occurred where DDR4 prices surpassed those of the newer DDR5 as IT companies opted for DDR4 over the more expensive DDR5. TrendForce noted, “Due to DDR4 supply shortages, DDR5 prices in September became 1% cheaper compared to DDR4,” adding, “This contrasts with the second quarter when DDR5 was 31% more expensive than DDR4.” In response to soaring DDR4 demand, semiconductor companies extended DDR4 production—originally planned to halt late this year—and raised prices. The average fixed transaction price of NAND flash commodity products (128Gb) for memory cards and USBs in September also rose 10.58% from the previous month, marking the ninth consecutive monthly increase.
The semiconductor industry anticipates the upward trend in memory semiconductor prices will continue at least until the first half of next year. This outlook reflects expectations that high demand for memory will persist due to year-end events like Black Friday and increased sales of IT devices during the back-to-school season early next year. TrendForce forecasted that DRAM prices in the fourth quarter of this year will rise 3–8% compared to the third quarter.
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