Author：Wall Street CN
Samsung Electronics has significantly raised DRAM prices for two consecutive quarters, reflecting the profound reshaping of the memory chip market by the AI infrastructure investment boom.
According to South Korea's *Electronic News*, Samsung Electronics has completed negotiations and signed supply contracts with major customers regarding DRAM supply prices for the second quarter, with an increase of approximately 30% compared to the first quarter. This price increase covers high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and general-purpose DRAM products for servers, PCs, and mobile devices, and represents an average overall increase. Previously, Samsung had already raised its average DRAM price by approximately 100% in the first quarter.
An industry insider familiar with the matter said, "There are still a lot of customers scrambling to lock in DRAM supplies in advance, which has allowed the company to further increase prices and supply based on the first quarter's figures," and pointed out that "with AI demand at its core, there are currently no signs of prices stabilizing or falling."Based on this calculation, if we take the DRAM price at the beginning of 2025 as the benchmark, after two rounds of price increases, the supply price in the second quarter is already equivalent to 2.6 times the benchmark price.
The market's assessment of "today's cheapest" remains unchanged, but the rate of price increase has slowed—the increase in the second quarter was significantly lower than the doubling in the first quarter. The supply and demand dynamics in the third quarter will be a key variable determining the direction of DRAM prices.
The root cause of the price increase: HBM's capacity expansion squeezes the supply of general-purpose DRAM.
The current surge in DRAM prices is directly driven by the explosive growth in demand for AI accelerators.
As major tech companies accelerate the construction of AI server infrastructure, demand for HBM is rising rapidly. Major memory manufacturers like Samsung Electronics are concentrating their production capacity on HBM, leading to a tightening of general-purpose DRAM supply and consequently a significant price increase.
Another industry insider said, "The willingness of large technology companies to expand infrastructure such as AI servers remains unchanged, and the demand for high-performance DRAM and HBM remains solid," adding that "competition for long-term contracts to secure stable DRAM supply is also intensifying."
There is a clear differentiation between high-end and older models.
The price increase trend is not monolithic.
Data from DRAM Exchange, a market research firm in Taiwan, shows that as of the end of March, the average fixed transaction price of PC DRAM products (DDR4 8Gb) remained the same as the previous month, and the price increases of some older products have entered a period of calm.
However, prices for next-generation DRAM such as DDR5 and server storage products continue to rise steadily, and market demand for high-end products remains strong. Industry insiders generally believe that the price increase cycle for high-specification products is not yet over.
SK Hynix and Micron follow suit and raise prices in tandem.
As the world's largest DRAM manufacturer, Samsung Electronics has taken the lead in locking in a 30% price increase, which is expected to have a ripple effect on the entire industry.
According to reports, SK Hynix and Micron will also proceed with DRAM supply in the second quarter at similar levels, and have already begun detailed negotiations with customers regarding price increases and contract terms.
The convergence of the three major storage manufacturers means that downstream buyers will face further upward pressure on prices and have less room for negotiation.
The biggest uncertainty in the market right now is focused on the third quarter.
Samsung Electronics and other major memory manufacturers have not yet seen a significant increase in DRAM production capacity, which means that AI-driven demand will remain the core factor influencing price trends.
If AI infrastructure investment maintains its current level while supply expansion lags behind, the upward price trend is expected to continue; conversely, if demand shows marginal easing, the price increase cycle may face a test.
