Samsung raises memory chip prices by up to 60% since September, according to reports — AI data center build out strangles supply

The prices of electronic products that use NAND flash memory are likely to continue rising, as Samsung has reportedly increased the prices of its individual memory chips by as much as 60% since September, Reuters reports. This follows reports earlier this month that the price for DRAM sticks of memory for desktop computers had increased by over 170% year on year. Mostly driven by the high demand for building new AI-focused data centers, memory makers aren't planning to increase production either, on the off chance the demand dries up.

With the rapid advance of AI infrastructure development, there have been several demand-induced shortages of critical hardware throughout 2025. It started with graphics cards as a new generation arrived at the start of the year. Even as that eased, power costs started to rise for communities living near new data center builds, and even Microsoft couldn't find the power it needed to run the GPUs it had purchased. Elon Musk's xAI bought up masses of gas turbines and is even importing a power station.

But now the ripple effect of the AI explosion is reaching further and deeper, and it's been hitting memory for a few months now. DRAM prices have been spiking, and it sounds like, behind the scenes, Samsung has raised its per-chip prices dramatically. Reuters reports a contract price for 32 GB of DDR5 was $149 in September, but would now cost $239.

Although this effect has most obviously been felt among DIY PC enthusiasts looking to upgrade their kits of DDR5, DRAM is in everything. A serious shortage or major price rise affects just about everything, from smartphones to laptops, and IoT devices to smart appliances.

The signs of a shortage have encouraged panic buying in some markets, with Reuters reporting in late October that memory manufacturers were seeing double or triple orders coming in as companies stockpile to ward against supply constraints.

As we saw with the surge in prices for last-generation graphics cards when the new-at-the-time RTX 50-series GPUs debuted earlier this year, memory is being similarly impacted. DDR4 prices surged in August after production was slowed, with cutting-edge memory chip manufacturers like Samsung pivoting more towards the latest designs and high-end memory like HBM, which is seeing increased use in the latest professional GPU stacks and data center rack servers powering AI.

The real issue, though, is that this may just be getting started. The shortage is expected to worsen in 2026, and according to some analysts, it could last up to a decade as the industry continues to grow with the capabilities of AI, and manufacturers struggle to keep up.

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