Overview
- Samsung raised contract prices for select DDR5 parts by 30% to 60% versus September, with 32GB server modules rising from $149 to $239 and 16GB and 128GB parts up about 50%, according to reports citing distributors and people briefed on the moves.
- Taiwanese distributors have begun requiring a one-to-one purchase of motherboards with DRAM modules to access memory stock, an unprecedented allocation tactic reported by Economic Daily News and relayed by Tom’s Hardware.
- Major PC makers including Asus and MSI are buying aggressively in the spot market to build RAM reserves as reports indicate tight supply could run for years, with Asus saying current inventory covers production through 2025.
- Morgan Stanley warned that memory fulfillment rates could fall to roughly 40% over the next two quarters and downgraded several PC hardware stocks as DRAM and NAND spot prices jumped 50%–300% in six months.
- Retail prices are spiking, with a Samsung DDR5-5600 16GB module in South Korea roughly tripling since August, while smartphone and other device makers flag rising costs as memory supply tightens.