The global market is witnessing a dramatic increase in DDR4 RAM prices, which are projected to rise by more than 50% in the third quarter of 2026. This price hike is a result of a broader shortage of memory chips originally stemming from premium segments like DDR5, which has now begun to affect older generations including DDR4 and DDR3.
Impact of Supply Chain Disruptions
According to insights from supply chain sources reported by DigiTimes, the expected price increase for an 8 GB DDR4 module marks a significant deviation from earlier industry forecasts, which anticipated a rise of only 10-20%. The reported figures refer to contract prices, implying that final retail prices could be even higher.
Shift in Production Strategies
The surge in RAM prices is largely attributable to strategic shifts by major memory chip manufacturers like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron. These companies are reallocating production resources to more profitable memory types, such as High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) for Nvidia's AI GPUs, DDR5 for servers, and LPDDR5X for premium smartphones. As a consequence, the output of DDR4 and DDR3 modules has notably declined.
Current Market Dynamics
At present, the majority of global DDR4 and DDR3 production is supported by two Taiwanese companies: Nanya Technology and Winbond. However, their production capacities remain insufficient to meet the rising market demands. Reports indicate that DDR4 prices from Taiwan are currently higher than the remaining stock from Samsung, which is primarily reserved for long-term clients.
Continuing Demand for DDR4
Despite the price increases, demand for DDR4 remains robust. Many data centers continue to rely on older server generations that utilize DDR4 memory. Furthermore, enterprise SSDs are increasingly incorporating DDR4-based DRAM caches to enhance performance and durability, contributing to the demand-supply gap.
A notable anomaly in the market is that DDR3 prices have now reportedly surpassed those of DDR5 when evaluated on a per-gigabit basis. As of early July 2026, the price for a 4 Gb DDR3 chip was around $3.19 per gigabit, while a 16 Gb DDR5 chip was priced at approximately $2.94 per gigabit.
This ongoing situation highlights the complexities of the memory chip market and the significant effects that shifts in production strategy and demand can have on prices.
Source: https://tekno.kompas.com/read/2026/07/12/19000097/ram-ddr4-makin-langka-harganya-naik-lebih-dari-50-persen
