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Samsung Lifts Memory Contract Prices Up to 60% as AI Demand Strains Supply

A pivot to advanced processes over new fabs keeps capacity tight into 2026.

Overview

  • Reuters, citing people familiar, reports Samsung raised some November memory contract prices by as much as 60% versus September, concentrated in server-focused chips.
  • Distributor Fusion Worldwide says Samsung’s 32GB DDR5 server modules climbed from $149 in September to $239 in November, with 16GB and 128GB DDR5 up about 50% and 64GB and 96GB up more than 30%.
  • TrendForce projects 2026 DRAM capex up about 14% to $61.3 billion and NAND up about 5% to $22.2 billion, characterizing overall spending as conservative with limited support for bit growth.
  • Major producers are channeling investment into process upgrades, higher stack counts, hybrid bonding and HBM rather than broad capacity expansion.
  • Industry players report severe shortages triggering panic buying and deferred orders for other chips, with Xiaomi warning of higher smartphone manufacturing costs and Samsung declining to comment.