Ask your wallet for more RAM, and I guarantee you it will crash. DDR4 RAM prices are currently experiencing a dramatic surge. Here’s why.
Blame it on DDR5. And China.
Major DRAM producers like Samsung, Micron, and SK hynix are winding down DDR4 production to focus on newer, higher-margin products such as DDR5 and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). For example, Samsung is scheduled to cease DDR4 production in early June 2025, and Micron is also exiting the market over the next 6–9 months. This reduction in supply is a primary driver of the price increases. And it doesn’t help that Chinese manufacturers like CXMT and Fujian Jinhua previously flooded the market with low-priced DDR4. But the Chinese government has recently instructed these firms to halt DDR4 production. This abrupt end to oversupply has tightened global DDR4 availability.
Blame it on Trump
US-China trade tensions and the threat from the Orange Messiah of new tariffs have led tech companies to stockpile DDR4 chips, further straining supply and driving up prices. Even with temporary exemptions, uncertainty around future tariffs has prompted aggressive procurement. And of course, the booming demand for AI and advanced computing has increased the need for high-bandwidth memory and advanced DRAM, causing manufacturers to reallocate production capacity away from DDR4. This limits the available bit output for PC and mobile DDR4, reducing the supply even more.
As a result, DDR4 prices have surged by 40–56% in recent weeks for some modules, with contract prices for manufacturers also jumping 22–25%. Remarkably, DDR4 is now, for the first time, more expensive than DDR5 on a per-module basis in some markets, as the outgoing generation’s supply collapses while DDR5 production ramps up
But it’ll get better, right? Uh, nope.
Current industry analysis indicates that DDR4 RAM prices are unlikely to drop in the near future. In fact, prices are expected to continue rising or remain elevated through at least the second half of 2025. TrendForce and other market analysts project that DDR4 prices could increase another 10–20% in the third quarter of 2025, and the upward trend is expected to persist until the end of the year or beyond. Some sources note that tariff pauses or shifts in procurement strategies could potentially stabilize prices, but a significant drop is not anticipated until after the current supply squeeze eases—likely not before early 2026, as final shipments of DDR4 from major suppliers are scheduled for that time.
