The upward trend in DRAM prices continues unabated. For the fourth quarter of 2025 (October to December), traditional DRAM is projected to see a quarter-on-quarter increase of 8 percent to 13 percent. When including High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), the overall surge is expected to be even steeper, ranging from 13 percent to 18 percent.
This significant price escalation is primarily driven by the increasing production allocation of high-performance DRAM for server applications and HBM. As manufacturers prioritize these high-margin segments, the supply-demand balance for consumer-grade DRAM has tightened considerably.
A particularly noteworthy phenomenon is the substantial price hike observed in older-generation products, such as DDR4. This has led to a price inversion where legacy DDR4 modules are becoming more expensive than the newer DDR5 counterparts.
Furthermore, with hyperscalers actively procuring DRAM, the likelihood of further production cuts in consumer-focused DRAM is high. Industry outlook suggests that this upward trajectory in pricing is likely to persist even into the beginning of the new year. Investors and industry players should brace for a sustained period of high DRAM costs.
