The memory price cooldown is the sound of buyers giving up

The memory price cooldown is the sound of buyers giving up

Headlines say the RAM surge is easing, but that slowdown is a reading of contract prices, measured against a quarter that was brutal.

Devika Nair

Macro view of a computer memory module on a dark surface, no people, no readable manufacturer mark, no screen and no price in frame, for the piece on memory contract prices

Photo Liam Briese / Unsplash

On August 20 a 16-gigabit DDR4 chip averaged $90.59 on the spot market, against $53.77 for the same-density DDR5. That makes the older part about 1.7 times the newer one.

What cooled is contract prices, and only the rate of increase. Part of that easing is buyers giving up and leaving the shop; part is the comparison with two enormous quarters. TrendForce has DRAM up 13 to 18 percent this quarter and NAND up 10 to 15 percent, and still calls the DRAM market extremely tight.

IDC expects PC shipments down 11.3 percent this year and phone shipments down a forecast 13.9 percent, the steepest on record for phones.

Do not wait for a dip. Gartner sees no relief until late 2027, IDC not before the end of 2027.
Buying a laptop? Check for real memory slots rather than soldered RAM.