Samsung and SK Hynix will raise flash memory prices again in Q2 as demand remains steady

Problem of rising DRAM prices: from Samsung and SK Hynix to global customers

At the beginning of Q2 2026, the two largest dynamic memory manufacturers in the world, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, officially announced a price increase for DRAM. According to *Seoul Economic Daily*, they are already negotiating with customers about this.

How pricing policy is changing
* The scale of the hike depends on the specific buyer.

- Small companies are forced to accept significant price increases to secure supplies.

- According to an industry expert, Samsung can satisfy only about 60 % of the growing demand, so even when prices are sometimes twice as high as previously signed contracts, customers will not back down.

* Types of agreements:

- Large players (Nvidia, Apple) usually sign contracts for a quarter or half‑year.

- Small firms traditionally operated on monthly market prices, but since Q4 2025 they switched to quarterly agreements that are more favorable for manufacturers.

Forecasts and actual dynamics
* A doubling of prices is expected this year.

- Gartner forecasts DRAM and SSD price growth of 130 % by the end of the year.

* Historical data:

- In March 2025, the price per DDR4‑8 Gb chip was about $1.30.

- By the end of that same year it was $9.30 (an increase of more than seven times).

- In February 2026 prices rose another 40 % to roughly $13.

Why the rise will not disappear
Experts believe that the sharp price hike reflects a structural shortage: DRAM supply cannot keep up with long‑term demand. This is linked to the shift in the AI industry toward “agent” artificial intelligence, which requires large amounts of memory for inference and computation.

* The production capacity of major players remains almost unchanged this year:

- SK Hynix plans only a modest increase (≈ 7 % YoY).

* Demand continues to grow as companies implement multiple AI solutions for different tasks. Since supply volumes for next year are already “sold out”, the price‑raising trend persists.

Conclusion:

The rise in DRAM prices from Samsung and SK Hynix has become a reaction to limited production capacity and growing demand, especially in AI. Small companies must accept higher prices, while large players sign long‑term contracts. The situation is expected to remain tense in the coming years.