The global upswing in storage chip prices that commenced in 2025 has persisted into 2026, with the magnitude of these price hikes steadily escalating. Based on the most recent research conducted by TrendForce, in the first quarter of 2026, DRAM manufacturers are set to redirect advanced production processes and deploy significant new production capacities towards HBM applications. This strategic move is aimed at fulfilling the burgeoning demand from AI servers, which will, in turn, lead to a substantial reduction in supply for other markets. Consequently, it is projected that general-purpose DRAM contract prices will witness a quarter-on-quarter surge of 55% to 60%.

Turning to NAND Flash, contract prices are forecasted to climb by 33% to 38%. This upward trajectory can be attributed to manufacturers' deliberate production control measures and the displacement effect triggered by the heightened server demand. Specifically, consumer-grade SSDs are poised to experience contract price hikes of up to 40%. This is primarily due to the supply constraints imposed by data center SSDs and the scarcity of cost-effective QLC products. As a result, consumer-grade SSDs are expected to emerge as the NAND Flash product category with the most pronounced price increase.