Memory and SSD Prices Surge as AI Demand Tightens Supply, TrendForce Says

Rising memory and storage chip prices are spilling over into consumer products, with some SSDs and RAM modules doubling in price in China, including 1TB SSDs rising to about 1,000 yuan from 500 yuan, Jiemian News reported. A Samsung storage customer service representative on JD.com said on July 6 that prices have risen due to the AI boom and higher raw material costs, while a SanDisk SSD store representative cited nearly a year of increases and flash chip shortages. The upcycle was triggered by coordinated moves by major suppliers. SanDisk said in September 2025 it would raise flash product prices by more than 10%, and Micron later told channel partners it would suspend quotations for products including DDR4/DDR5 and LPDDR4/LPDDR5. TrendForce said contract prices in 1H 2026 rose 100%-120% for NOR Flash and 130%-150% for SLC NAND, and forecast further gains of 60%-75% in 2H 2026. It also reported 2Q 2026 contract prices rose 70%-75% quarter-on-quarter for TLC NAND and 58%-63% for DRAM. Apple said on June 25 it raised starting prices for iPad and Mac products by about 20% on average due to surging memory and storage chip costs.