DDR4 Prices Have Surged by 1000%! And Still Rising! The Price Hike Cycle for SSDs and NAND Has Just Begun!

As of late 2025, the memory market is experiencing a massive price upcycle. While your claim of a 1000% surge may reflect extreme cases in specific regional spot markets or legacy server modules, industry-wide reports indicate that average DDR4 prices have tripled in 2025, with certain segments seeing increases up to 500-600%.

• Production Phase-Out: Major manufacturers (Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron) have drastically cut DDR4 production to prioritize high-margin AI memory like HBM and DDR5. Some lines are expected to cease production entirely by early 2026.

• Price Inversion: In a rare market shift, DDR4 kit prices (USD/GB) exceeded DDR5 prices by late 2025. A standard 16GB DDR4 kit that cost $25–$30 in early 2025 now averages $80–$100+.

• Regional Extremes: In Japan, some memory kits have reportedly surged by up to 619%.

SSD and NAND Market Trends

• Supply Constraints: NAND manufacturers have intentionally reduced production to restore profitability, leading to a wafer shortage.

• Price Hikes: Contract prices for NAND and SSDs rose 15–20% in Q4 2025 alone. Consumer SSD prices for 1TB drives have already doubled in some markets, moving from ~$45 to nearly $90 year-to-date.

• 2026 Outlook: NAND demand is projected to grow 20%–22% in 2026, while supply is only expected to rise 15%–17%, ensuring a widening gap and continued price pressure.

Why are prices rising?

1. AI Data Center Boom: Hyperscalers (Google, Amazon, Meta) are buying up global memory capacity to fuel AI clusters, leaving crumbs for the consumer market.

2. Manufacturing Pivot: Fabs are reallocating equipment to produce HBM (High-Bandwidth Memory), which is essential for AI GPUs like those from NVIDIA.

3. Tariff Uncertainty: Fear of impending trade barriers has led some companies to stockpile inventory, further draining available supply.

Recommendations for Buyers

• For New Builds: Move to DDR5 platforms (AM5 or Intel LGA 1851) immediately. DDR5 is now faster, more efficient, and often cheaper per GB than DDR4.

• For Upgrades: If you rely on a DDR4 system, secure your RAM and SSD upgrades now. Major retailers have already begun raising prebuilt PC prices by 15-20% to account for these costs.

• SSD Strategy: High-capacity enterprise SSDs are becoming "priced but unavailable". For personal use, consider locking in current prices for 2TB+ drives before Q1 2026.

In terms of the future trend, industry institutions such as TrendForce predict that the shortage of DDR4 is likely to last until 2026, and the price of NAND will continue to rise in December 2025. The tight supply and demand pattern of storage products may persist until at least the second half of 2026. However, as the production capacity of domestic manufacturers like Changxin Storage and Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. is gradually released, it is expected to ease the supply pressure to a certain extent and eventually lead the market price to return to a rational level.