DRAM prices surge – industry revenue up 81% in a single quarter
The DRAM industry posted revenue of USD 97 billion in the first quarter of 2026, up 81% quarter-on-quarter, driven by a rapid surge in contract prices for conventional DRAM. Contract prices rose approximately 93 to 98 percent compared to the previous quarter, according to TrendForce.
The price surge is fuelled by a shift in AI infrastructure deployment. As AI applications evolve from large language model training toward inference at scale, cloud service providers are expanding their server deployments from AI-specific configurations to general-purpose servers – broadening memory procurement needs beyond HBM3e and LPDDR5X to include a wider range of RDIMM capacities. This shift has driven strong demand for conventional DRAM at a time when supplier inventories are extremely low.
The supply squeeze is expected to persist. Incremental supply in the second quarter remains prioritised for high-capacity RDIMMs for AI servers, leaving limited product availability for PC OEMs and smartphone vendors. TrendForce expects conventional DRAM contract prices to rise a further 58% to 63% quarter-on-quarter in Q2 2026, as cloud service providers' willingness to accept price increases has prompted other customers to follow, to secure allocations, according to TrendForce.
| Rank | Company | Revenue (USD millions) | Market share | |||
| 1Q26 | 4Q25 | QoQ | 1Q26 | 4Q25 | ||
| 1 | Samsung | 37,323 | 19,300 | 93.4% | 38.5% | 36.0% |
| 2 | Sk hynix | 27,982 | 17,221 | 62.5% | 22.4% | 32.1% |
| 3 | Micron | 21,750 | 11,975 | 81.6% | 22.4% | 22.4% |
| 4 | Nanya | 1,552 | 970 | 60.0% | 1.6% | 1.8% |
| 5 | Winbond | 568 | 297 | 91.4% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| 6 | PSMC | 43 | 33 | 29.9% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Others | 7,783 | 3,782 | 105.8% | 8.0% | 7.1% | |
| Total | 97,00 | 53,578 | 81.0% | 100% | 100% | |
Samsung retained the top position in Q1, posting revenue of USD 37.32 billion – up 93.4% QoQ – and expanding its market share to 38.5%. SK Hynix ranked second with USD 27.98 billion, up 62.5%, though overall ASP growth was partially constrained by declining HBM contract prices. Micron ranked third with USD 21.75 billion, up 81.6%, maintaining a stable 22.4% market share.
Among Taiwan-based suppliers, Nanya significantly reduced inventory during the quarter while sharp increases in DDR4 and DDR3 contract prices drove revenue up 60% to USD 1.55 billion. Winbond expanded DDR4 and LPDDR4 shipments, lifting revenue 91.4% to nearly USD 568 million.
TrendForce notes that suppliers are expected to rely primarily on process migrations to expand bit output in 2026, given the tight supply environment and the time required for new cleanroom construction.
Nikolaos Florous of Memphis Electronic will take the stage at Evertiq Expo Berlin on June 18, 2026, where he will present "The Global Memory Market Reset" – examining how AI-driven demand, geopolitics and rising capital intensity are reshaping supply and pricing across the global memory market.
