Contract prices for NAND chips have jumped over 600% since late September 2025, while DRAM prices climbed roughly 400%, with further increases expected as artificial intelligence infrastructure buildout strains global supply.
The sharp price increases reflect intensifying competition for memory chips as tech companies race to build out AI capabilities. NAND flash memory, used for storage, has seen the most dramatic appreciation, while DRAM prices—which power processing—have also accelerated significantly.
Analysts expect the upward pressure to continue. The shortage is already reshaping corporate performance, creating winners among chip suppliers and memory manufacturers while squeezing companies dependent on affordable components.
The AI boom has triggered unprecedented demand for semiconductors across data centers and computing infrastructure. Memory chips, critical to both training and running large language models, remain particularly constrained. Supply chain disruptions and concentrated production capacity have exacerbated scarcity.
Memory chip makers are racing to increase output, but manufacturing capacity takes months to scale. Until supply catches up with AI-driven demand, prices are likely to remain elevated, affecting everything from server costs to consumer device pricing.
Samsung has reversed course on its flip phone strategy, allowing the Galaxy Z Flip 8 to run a full Android experience on its cover display rather than limiting it to basic widgets and notifications.
SK Hynix held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $4 billion advanced memory packaging facility in Indiana. Mass production of next-generation HBM chips is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2029.
Chinese automakers are investing heavily in humanoid robots, following Tesla's lead in betting that the technology represents the next major profit opportunity. Technical advances have triggered a wave of new entrants into the sector.