https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/storage/server-dram-prices-surge-50-percent [] Skip to main content (*) ( ) Open menu Tom's Hardware Tom's Hardware US Edition flag of US UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia CA EditionCanada RSS Sign in * * View Profile * Sign out [ ] Search Search Tom's Hardware [ ] * * Best Picks + CPU Buying Advice o CPU Best Picks o CPU Reviews + GPU Buying Advice o GPU Best Picks o GPU Reviews + Laptop Buying Advice o Laptop Best Picks o Laptop Reviews + More Buying Advice o Keyboard Best Picks o Gaming Monitor Best Picks o Gaming Headset Best Picks o 3D Printer Best Picks o Webcam Best Picks o Mice Best Picks o How We Test * CPUs * GPUs * PC Components + Memory o RAM o DRAM o DDR5 + Storage o HDDs o SSDs + Cooling o Air Cooling o Liquid Cooling o Thermal Paste + Networking o Routers + Motherboards + Overclocking + PC Cases + PC Building + Power Supplies * News + Tech Industry News o CPU News o GPU News o Chips Act o Semiconductors o 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Coupons o View Laptop and PC Coupons o Dell Coupon Codes o Asus Coupon Codes o Logitech Promo Codes o Samsung Promo codes + Hardware Coupons o View Hardware Coupons o Newegg Promo Codes o Corsair Discount Codes o Razer Promo Codes o Anycubic Discount codes + Software Coupons o View Software Coupons o Bitdefender Coupons o Simplisafe Coupons o MacPaw Coupons o Squarespace Coupon Codes + Gaming Coupons o View Gaming Coupons o Kinguin Discount Codes o Loaded Discount Codes o Logitech G Promo Codes o SteelSeries Coupons Premium Forums Trending * Early Black Friday Deals * Win 10 EOL * GTC 2025 * Intel 18A * Panther Lake * Battlefield 6 Don't miss these Corsair DRAM DRAM prices surge 171% year-over-year, outpacing gold price increases DDR4 RAM RAM DDR4 costs soar as manufacturers pull the plug Empty warehouse shelves Big Tech Adata chairman says AI datacenters are gobbling up hard drives, SSDs, and DRAM alike Minisforum 790S7 PC Components Mini PC maker Minisforum to hike prices on all models with SSDs and DRAM, cites 'significant increase in our overall costs' SK hynix sign outside its South Korea headquarters Tech Industry SK Hynix projects HBM market to expand 30% annually through 2030 Google Storage Expect HDD, SSD shortages as AI rewrites the rules of storage hierarchy Phison CEO SSDs Phison CEO claims NAND shortage could last a staggering 10 years Samsung DRAM OpenAI's Stargate project to consume up to 40% of global DRAM output Intel CPUs Intel hamstrung by supply shortages across its business, including production capacity China RAM YMTC and CXMT team up to accelerate Chinese domestic HBM production Samsung DRAM Skyrocketing costs for memory will jack up smartphone prices SK Hynix's HBM4 DRAM SK hynix completes development of HBM4 Visiting Micron Fab 16 RAM Micron is preparing to exit China's data center memory market completely, report claims SK hynix HBM4 chips DRAM On the cutting edge: How SK hynix's history prepared it for the AI revolution An explainer image of d-Matrix Pavehawk, a 3D stacked memory solution. RAM New 3D-stacked memory tech seeks to dethrone HBM in AI inference 1. PC Components 2. Storage Server DRAM prices surge up to 50% as AI-induced memory shortage hits hyperscaler supply -- U.S. and Chinese customers only getting 70% order fulfillment News By Luke James published 28 October 2025 U.S. and China buyers now see just 70% order fulfillment, as AI demand drives DDR5 shortages and PC parts follow suit. * * * * * * * Comments (2) When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works. DRAM (Image credit: Getty / Bloomberg) The DRAM supply chain is choking, and server memory is taking the first hit. According to DigiTimes, major U.S. and Chinese hyperscalers are now receiving just 70% of the server DRAM they order. That's despite agreeing to contract price increases of up to 50% for Q4, well above the 30% hike many buyers had budgeted for earlier this year. Naturally, AI sits at the core of all this. While it's HBM that gets the headlines, demand for conventional DDR5 RDIMMs is also outpacing supply, particularly at advanced nodes where Samsung and SK hynix have diverted capacity toward parts bound for AI acceleration. Samsung's recent pricing adjustments confirm the reprioritization, with the company having raised server SSD prices by up to 35% and RDIMM contract rates by as much as 50%, citing sustained demand from enterprise and cloud customers. What's left is a market where even the largest buyers can't secure enough memory. Spot prices have surged since late September, and several top-tier suppliers are reportedly refusing to quote for October allocations. DDR5 16 GB modules that traded at $7 to $8 last month are now hovering around $13, with availability tightening further into November. Module makers are bracing for out-of-stock situations by the end of the quarter. You may like * Corsair DRAM prices surge 171% year-over-year, outpacing gold price increases * DDR4 RAM DDR4 costs soar as manufacturers pull the plug * Empty warehouse shelves Adata chairman says AI datacenters are gobbling up hard drives, SSDs, and DRAM alike The rest of the market fares worse. Channel players and smaller OEMs are seeing order fulfillment rates closer to 35% to 40%. With hyperscalers locking in fixed allocations, lower-priority customers are pushed to the spot market or told to wait until capacity opens up in 2026. Micron warned of this in its most recent earnings call, telling investors that DRAM is a "tight industry" and that bit supply growth will lag demand through the end of next year. TrendForce also flagged a potential quote freeze across certain modules, as suppliers shift to day-to-day pricing in China and avoid locking themselves into bad deals. This is causing retail DDR5 prices to creep upward, with no sign of stabilization before year's end. DDR4, meanwhile, is in slow decline. China's Nanya Technology recently said standard DDR4 makes up just 20% of the total DRAM market, and it's no longer being prioritized for volume production. Unless demand unexpectedly cools or yields improve sharply, DRAM allocation for everyone outside the top buyers will be constrained into 2026. Google Preferred Source Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source , to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds. Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. [ ][ ]Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands[ ]Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors[Sign me up] By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. TOPICS Micron Samsung SK Hynix See all comments (2) Luke James Luke James Social Links Navigation Contributor Luke James is a freelance writer and journalist. Although his background is in legal, he has a personal interest in all things tech, especially hardware and microelectronics, and anything regulatory. Read more Corsair DRAM prices surge 171% year-over-year, outpacing gold price increases DDR4 RAM DDR4 costs soar as manufacturers pull the plug Empty warehouse shelves Adata chairman says AI datacenters are gobbling up hard drives, SSDs, and DRAM alike Minisforum 790S7 Mini PC maker Minisforum to hike prices on all models with SSDs and DRAM, cites 'significant increase in our overall costs' SK hynix sign outside its South Korea headquarters SK Hynix projects HBM market to expand 30% annually through 2030 Google Expect HDD, SSD shortages as AI rewrites the rules of storage hierarchy Latest in Storage Samsung P9 Express Samsung unleashes high-speed P9 Express microSD Express cards for the Switch 2 at highly competitive prices Western Digital corporate HQ headquarters WD launches investigation into problems with its SMR hard drives TBS-h574TX QNAP's new NAS brings exotic data center 'ruler' SSDs into your house Tech Deals Save $40 on 1TB of Switch 2 storage at Costco -- Lexar's Play Pro microSD Express card drops to $179.99 MP700 Pro XT Corsair rolls out dynamic duo of chart-topping PCIe 5.0 SSDs SK Hynix SK hynix unveils AI NAND strategy, including gargantuan petabyte-class QLC SSDs -- ultra-fast HBF and 100M IOPS SSDs also in the pipeline Latest in News Lo-fi 30x30 pixel camera made using a salvaged optical mouse sensor 3D printing enthusiast creates camera with a gutted optical mouse's sensor -- lo-fi 30x30 pixel camera took 65 hours to build Corsair DRAM prices surge 171% year-over-year, outpacing gold price increases AMD Ryzen processor AMD hit with lawsuit over hybrid bonding tech behind potent 3D V-Cache President Trump pointing Trump says no Blackwell chips to be sold to China Ryzen 9000 CPU The same ASRock B850 motherboard kills three Ryzen 7 9700X CPUs worth $1,000 one by one in South Korea 3D printed gun components SWAT team raid uncovers 3D printing guns with live ammunition, capable of firing [ ] 2 Comments Comment from the forums * Notton It's also causing desktop and laptop DRAM prices to inflate massively. I can't find the older dram pricing articles because tom's search sucks, but I told you it would take a few months to rear its ugly head. Reply * Hiper-Derek Nanya is based out of Taiwan, not China. Reply * View All 2 Comments Tom's Hardware is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. [mednnv697g] Add as a preferred source on Google * Terms and conditions * Contact Future's experts * Privacy policy * Cookies policy * Accessibility Statement * Advertise with us * About us * Coupons * Careers (c) Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.