Up to 30% hike in DRAM and 10% in NAND reflects rising demand from flagship phones, AI PCs, and cloud data centers.
Samsung Joins the Memory Price Hike Wave
Samsung has officially informed customers of price hikes for DRAM and NAND flash memory, set to take effect in the fourth quarter of 2025.
- DRAM: Prices will rise up to 30%.
- NAND: Prices will rise up to 10%.
This follows similar moves from competitors SanDisk and Micron, who also raised prices earlier this month. Some have even paused new quotations, signaling strong demand across the industry.
Products Affected
The increases apply to Samsung’s mobile and storage memory lines:
- DRAM: LPDDR4X, LPDDR5, LPDDR5X
- NAND: eMMC and Universal Flash Storage (UFS)
These memory types power everything from flagship smartphones to next-generation AI PCs.
What’s Driving the Price Increase?
The surge comes from two main demand drivers:
- Flagship Smartphones
- The latest Galaxy and iPhone models require low-power, high-performance DRAM and NAND.
- Adoption of advanced photography and AI features pushes for more storage and faster memory bandwidth.
- AI PCs and Cloud Data Centers
- AI-focused PCs are fueling demand for DDR5 and high-bandwidth memory (HBM).
- Cloud providers are buying server SSDs at scale, shifting from HDDs to NAND-powered storage for faster data throughput.
Transition Away from Older Memory
Another factor is the phase-out of older memory products:
- Companies, including Samsung, are winding down DDR4 and LPDDR4 production to prioritize DDR5 and HBM.
- Originally, Samsung planned to end DDR4/LPDDR4 in mid-2025, but high demand has delayed the shutdown until late 2025.
- This has also pushed DDR4 prices up nearly 50% in July, surpassing DDR5 in some cases.
Market Position and Profit Outlook
Samsung remains the global leader in memory:
- DRAM market share: 32.7%
- NAND market share: 32.9%
With the hikes, Samsung’s Device Solutions division is expected to see a significant Q4 boost, potentially doubling operating profits compared to Q4 2024.
Why It Matters
The move underscores a fundamental shift in the tech industry:
- AI workloads, premium smartphones, and cloud infrastructure are now the key growth engines.
- Consumers may feel the effect through higher smartphone and PC prices, as OEMs pass along the increased component costs.
- For Samsung, the hikes will strengthen financial performance as it capitalizes on its dominant market share.
