Memory Market Mayhem: Prices Spike Amid Supply Shortages

It seems that improvements in the memory market, and thus the PC market as a whole, should not be expected anytime soon. The CEO of TeamGroup, which among other things produces RAM modules, expects the problem to worsen further in 2026. According to him, contract prices for DRAM and NAND chips have nearly doubled recently.

The company anticipates that chip availability at the start of 2026 will worsen even more, and normalization of the situation is unlikely until 2027–2028, when additional production capacities appear. Recall that Micron is currently building a new plant for HBM memory production, which will be operational by 2028.

December contract prices for some categories of DRAM and 3D NAND memory have already increased by 80–100% compared to November. These are the prices at which memory module manufacturers will purchase memory chips. For example, on September 20, the average price of a DDR5 chip with a 16 Gb capacity on DRAMeXchange was $6.84. On November 19, it was $24.83, but by December 1, it had risen further to $27.2. Thus, the cost of just the memory chips for a 16 GB module is about $217.6, with the printed circuit board, assembly and testing, as well as additional parts adding another $8-10, so a 16 GB memory module ultimately costs $225–228, and this does not include manufacturer markups, logistics, and taxes.

In early 2026, the situation will worsen due to stock exhaustion. The release of new Intel processors will spur the production of new laptops, which will require memory. As a result, prices will rise even further.

In light of these developments, alternative solutions include expanding the use of alternative memory technologies or delaying upgrades. Experts suggest consumers carefully plan their purchases and explore second-hand markets, where prices might be slightly less volatile.