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Samsung and SK Hynix reportedly notify customers of 40-70% DRAM price hikes for Q2 2026
Friday, February 27, 2026 at 09:26 AM
Samsung and SK Hynix have reportedly issued notifications for a significant DRAM contract price increase of approximately 40% to 70% for Q2 2026. This surge is driven by critical shortages in the memory supply chain, where fulfillment rates for contract procurement are hovering as low as 20-30%. The upcoming NVIDIA GTC 2026 is expected to further catalyze demand for HBM4 and HBM4E technologies as new GPU architectures like 'Feynman' emerge, intensifying competition among the big three memory makers and shifting the market entirely in favor of sellers.
Context
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have notified customers of significant DRAM price hikes for Q2, with analysts projecting a 130% cumulative increase by year-end. This surge stems from a structural supply shortage as global AI infrastructure investment far outstrips manufacturing capacity. Samsung currently meets only 60% of demand, and with 2025 inventory already largely sold out, the aggressive upward pricing trend is expected to persist for the next several quarters.
The transition toward "agentic AI" is driving massive memory requirements across enterprise and mobile sectors, creating a chronic supply-demand imbalance. While major partners like Nvidia and Apple utilize long-term agreements to mitigate volatility, smaller buyers must accept steep price increases to secure volume. With DDR4 8Gb prices having already risen from $1.30 last year to approximately $13.00 by February, the shift reflects a fundamental power move by manufacturers that favors suppliers through late next year.
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