DRAM Fixed Transaction Price Soars 27% in May... "Stockpiling Driven by Tariff Grace Period"

Market Research Firm 'DRAMeXchange' Reports
Standard PC DRAM Price Reaches $2.10 in May
Sharp Increase of Over 20% for Two Consecutive Months

The average monthly prices of memory semiconductors, including DRAM and NAND flash, continued to rise in May.

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According to market research firm DRAMeXchange on May 30, the average fixed transaction price for standard PC DRAM products (DDR4 8Gb 1Gx8) in May was $2.10, a sharp increase of 27.27% compared to the previous month.

In April, prices had already surged by 22.22%, marking two consecutive months of increases exceeding 20%.

DRAM prices had previously experienced double-digit declines in September (-17.07%) and November (-20.59%) of last year. After maintaining a stable trend for four consecutive months starting in December, prices have now shifted upward. These changes appear to be influenced by the U.S. government's announcement of reciprocal tariffs, a 90-day grace period, and PC manufacturers' efforts to secure inventory in advance.

Another market research firm, TrendForce, explained, "PC manufacturers are increasing their memory stockpiles to take advantage of the 90-day tariff grace period," adding, "This trend has especially boosted demand for low-cost central processing units (CPUs) and compatible DDR4 DRAM."

The average fixed transaction price for standard NAND flash products (128Gb 16Gx8 MLC) used in memory cards and USB drives was $2.92 in May, up 4.84% from the previous month. NAND prices had declined for four consecutive months starting in September of last year, but rebounded by 4.57% in January and have now risen for five straight months.