DRAM Contract Price Oct. 2026

Last Modified

2026-10-30

Update Frequency

Monthly

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PDF

PC DRAM contract prices keep rising in the fourth quarter, though gains are narrowing amid tense negotiations. Weak notebook shipments and rising inventory push second-tier OEMs toward white-label models with downgraded chips and lower next-year orders. Meanwhile, suppliers cut PC DRAM output in favor of servers, which keeps the market undersupplied.

Key Highlights

Pricing: Fourth-quarter PC DRAM contract prices continue to rise, though more slowly than last quarter. Buyers are resisting higher quotes, and most deals are expected to close next month at slightly higher levels.
Demand: Notebook shipments are falling sharply and inventory weeks are climbing. Second-tier OEMs are expanding white-label models using reball DDR4 and older CPUs, and are cutting next year’s procurement.
Supply: Suppliers plan negative PC DRAM supply growth next year. Korean suppliers are cutting deeply and shifting to servers, while the US supplier has secured volumes through long-term agreements.
Supplier strategy: Suppliers face little pressure to clear capacity, but they are keeping room to moderate price hikes so they can preserve partnerships for edge AI.
Chip market: Spot prices keep climbing. DDR5 contract prices are rising on tight advanced-node supply, and DDR4 is lifted by Taiwanese suppliers shifting capacity to servers. White-label demand supports reball DDR4.