SEOUL, November 15, 2025 – Samsung Electronics has increased contract prices for memory chips by as much as 60% since September, capitalizing on a severe supply shortage triggered by the global rush to build AI data centers.

The hikes target high-demand server components, including DDR5 DRAM and NAND flash, leaving cloud providers, server makers, and consumer electronics firms scrambling to secure inventory.

According to Reuters sources , a 32GB DDR5 server module now costs $239, up from $149 in September—a 60% jump. Other capacities saw increases of 30% to 50%: a 16GB module rose to $135, while 64GB and 96GB variants climbed by more than 30%, and a 128GB module reached $1,194. Samsung delayed its October price announcements, an unusual move that signaled the intensity of the market squeeze.

Global DRAM inventories have dropped to just eight weeks of supply, down sharply from over 30 weeks in 2023, as detailed in TrendForce’s latest DRAM trends . The primary driver is explosive demand for AI infrastructure.

Tech giants are prioritizing high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for Nvidia’s AI GPUs, diverting production capacity from standard DRAM. Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron—the world’s three dominant memory makers—have shifted focus to HBM, which now trades at triple the price it did a year ago.

OpenAI’s Stargate supercomputer project exemplifies the scale: the company has locked in long-term deals with Samsung and SK Hynix for up to 900,000 wafers per month, potentially consuming 40% of global DRAM output, per OpenAI’s supply chain details .

TrendForce analyst Ellie Wang forecasts Samsung’s Q4 contract prices will rise 40–50%, outpacing the industry average of 30%. “Demand is extremely strong, and buyers are signing agreements into 2026 and 2027,” she said in a Q4 server DRAM report .

Rivals are following suit. SK Hynix and Micron increased DRAM prices by 15–30% and NAND by 5–10% since October, according to TrendForce’s September update . Micron has even halted quotes on select products due to limited availability.

Downstream effects are already visible: China’s SMIC reported customers delaying non-memory chip orders to manage costs, while smartphone maker Xiaomi warned of price increases. Raspberry Pi memory kits now retail for $80–$100, up from $25–$30 earlier this year, as noted in industry analyses .

The supply bottleneck is structural. Building new memory fabs takes over two years, and manufacturers remain cautious after past oversupply cycles, with only modest expansions planned for 2026 per production strategy reports .

With AI demand showing no signs of slowing—Microsoft and Google alone plan thousands of new data centers—analysts expect tightness through 2026. Samsung, despite earlier struggles in the HBM race, is leveraging its market dominance to drive pricing power. Its stock has risen over 80% this year, reflecting investor confidence in the ongoing “super cycle.”