Memory has quietly become one of the most expensive parts of a new computer, and buyers are starting to feel it. Prices for DRAM and NAND flash have climbed sharply through 2026, and analysts expect the pressure to continue.

How Big Are the Increases

The numbers vary by source and by quarter, but the direction is consistent. Industry reporting describes fixed DRAM contract prices rising more than 50 percent in the first quarter of 2026, while NAND flash prices surged over 90 percent over a similar stretch. Counterpoint Research has projected that certain enterprise memory modules could roughly double in cost across the cycle.

Forecasts have been bold. Some analysts have warned that combined DRAM and NAND prices could move sharply higher again into 2027, with one set of projections describing the potential for prices to nearly double within a year. As ever, these are estimates and views differ on the exact scale.

Why Prices Keep Rising

The mechanism is a supply shift. Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron control the vast majority of DRAM production, and they have redirected wafer capacity toward high bandwidth memory for AI data centres. HBM uses far more silicon per unit of capacity than ordinary memory, so fewer wafers remain for the chips that go into PCs, phones and cars.

Because consumer devices already ship with the minimum memory users expect, manufacturers cannot simply shrink the amount of memory to cut costs. That makes demand remarkably resistant to price rises, which helps keep prices high.

Who Feels It Most

Budget and mid-range devices are hit hardest, because a fixed memory cost makes up a larger share of a cheaper machine. Several PC makers have raised retail prices well above their usual levels. The automotive sector has also been flagged as an area at risk, with warnings that automotive-grade memory could rise steeply.

What Buyers Should Do

For anyone planning a computer, phone or server purchase, the practical takeaway is that memory is unlikely to get cheaper in the short term. If a purchase is needed, waiting for a big drop does not look like a safe bet right now. New memory factories take years to build, so the tight supply is not something that resolves quickly.

Rising costs are a reminder that planning ahead matters, whether you are buying hardware or building the online presence of a business.

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Sources

TechInsights: https://www.techinsights.com/blog/why-ai-memory-shortage-could-keep-dram-and-nand-prices-high-years
AXTEK: https://www.axtekic.com/news/global-dram-and-nand-market-outlook-2025%E2%80%932026:-ai-demand-sparks-new-wave-of-price-hikes.html
Data Center Disk: https://datacenterdisk.com/news/memory-chip-shortage-2026-server-ram-prices
PC Central: https://pccentral.net/micron-memory-shortage-outlasts-2026-ai-demand/

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