Global DRAM sales grew by 29 % in the last quarter, prices rose by 50 %, and Samsung is once again leading the market.

Brief on the memory industry situation

The expansion of artificial intelligence applications has prompted cloud providers to deploy data centers more aggressively, adding not only specialized AI servers but also standard compute nodes. This has led to increased demand for standard DRAM (RDIMM), rather than just high‑performance options like HBM3e, LPDDR5X, or high‑capacity RDIMM.

1. Overall market dynamics
Metric Change Total industry revenue (Q4 2025) $53.58 million – up 29.4% from the previous quarter Contract prices for standard DRAM +45–50% versus Q3 2025 Average contract prices for DRAM and HBM +50–55% – accelerated growth across all categories
TrendForce notes that growing supply shortages are strengthening manufacturers’ pricing power. As a result, prices for standard DRAM have nearly doubled compared to the previous quarter.

2. Forecasts for Q1 2026
* Seasonal demand decline: consumer market contraction is expected, which could limit chip supply growth and offset gains for cloud providers.

* Potential reaction from other segments: to protect their shares, companies may follow telecom operators’ example and prepare for higher procurement prices.

* Expected price increases:
* Standard DRAM – +90–95% versus Q4 2025
* Mixed DRAM+HBM – +80–85%

3. Financial results of key players
Company Revenue (Q4 2025) YoY/QoQ Growth Market share Key factors
Samsung $19.30 million +43% QoQ 36% (+3.4 ppt) Growing HBM sales, average price +40%
Nanya $970 million +54.7% QoQ – DDR4/DDR3 supply, margin +39.1% (from 6%) thanks to reallocation to higher‑margin 20‑nm and 1B processes
Winbond $297 million +33.7% QoQ – Increased DDR4 4‑Gb (20‑nm) supplies

4. PSMC data explanations
* DRAM sales revenue without manufacturing services rose 0.6% to $33 million.

* Total revenue including manufacturing – +5%.

* A new licensing agreement with Micron accelerates expansion of DRAM production capacity.

Conclusion: Growing demand from cloud providers and supply constraints create favorable conditions for memory price increases. At the same time, major players such as Samsung, Nanya, and Winbond show significant revenue growth thanks to higher sales of high‑performance chips and improved margin. In Q1 2026, a sharp rise in contract prices is expected, but seasonal factors may temper demand growth rates.