- Micron pauses DRAM and NAND quotes, signalling sharper increases coming soon
- DDR4 spot prices climbed 3.31%, rising from $4.896 to $5.058
- Transaction volumes are shrinking as buyers resist higher memory costs
Micron and SanDisk are preparing aggressive price adjustments that could ripple through the storage and memory markets within weeks.
Recent reports have claimed SanDisk has already announced a 10% hike for NAND products, aiming to boost market sentiment.
In response, Micron has paused its NAND and DRAM quotes, signaling sharper increases on the horizon.
DRAM market reactions and DDR5 trends
These developments come as suppliers attempt to recover margins ahead of anticipated supply shortages in 2026, while buyers remain hesitant to accept steep hikes.
Spot prices for DRAM continue to move upward, led by DDR4 products.
The average spot price of mainstream DDR4 1Gx8 3200MT/s chips has climbed 3.31%, rising from $4.896 to $5.058 in a single week.
According to TrendForce, this is influenced by Nanya’s strong August revenue performance.
However, transaction volumes are shrinking as buyers resist these increases, showing limited willingness to absorb higher costs.
Meanwhile, the spot trading of DDR5 chips remains subdued, showing no change from previous weeks.
Despite DDR5 representing the latest memory technology, its uptake appears tempered by cost concerns and limited near-term demand growth.
SanDisk’s effort to push a 10% NAND price increase has not been fully embraced by buyers, especially now that peak-season stocking activity has passed.
The spot price of 512Gb TLC wafers has risen by around 1.5%, but suppliers have largely confined increases to channels rather than the retail market.
If these channel adjustments expand, consumers could soon see higher costs for SSD storage and related products.
SanDisk’s recent financial results show why suppliers are confident in pursuing price hikes.
The company reported quarterly revenue of $1.901 billion, a 12% increase from the prior quarter and 8% year-over-year growth.
For fiscal 2025, revenue reached $7.355 billion, up 10% from fiscal 2024.
This growth was supported by moderate gains in bit shipments and average selling prices, demonstrating sustained demand across key segments.
SanDisk’s data center business accounted for over 12% of total bits shipped, while cloud revenue rose 25% year-over-year to $213 million.
These figures indicate that enterprise and professional sectors remain willing to absorb higher costs, giving suppliers a foundation to push DRAM and NAND pricing higher.
With suppliers holding firm on quotes and signaling additional hikes, both enterprise customers and end users may face increased costs during the Black Friday period.
Rising DRAM and NAND prices could tighten margins for retailers and integrators, particularly if buyers delay purchases in anticipation of stabilization.
For consumers, any temporary relief in storage deals may be short-lived, making this shopping season one of the most unpredictable in recent times.
