Samsung Electronics has sharply increased the prices of some of its memory chips this month. The surge is driven by severe supply shortages caused by global competition to build AI data centers. Compared to September, prices have reportedly risen by as much as 60%.
As the world’s largest memory chip manufacturer, Samsung had delayed announcing its monthly contract prices for October. The sharp price increase for these server-oriented chips will create significant challenges for companies building data infrastructure. This rise could also increase the cost of other products, such as smartphones and computers.
Tobey Gonnerman, president of distributor Fusion Worldwide, stated that Samsung’s 32 GB DDR5 memory module price rose from $149 in September to $239 in November. Additionally, prices for 16GB and 128GB chips increased by around 50%, while 64GB and 96GB chips saw rises of more than 30%.
Industry leaders and analysts say the chip shortage is so severe that some customers have engaged in “panic buying.” Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi also warned last month that rising prices would increase the cost of its phones.
Nevertheless, this situation works in Samsung’s favor, as the company has lagged behind competitors in offering advanced AI chips. Analysts say Samsung now has stronger pricing power compared to rivals like SK Hynix and Micron. TrendForce analyst Ellie Wang predicts Samsung will raise contract prices by 40–50% in the October–December quarter, higher than the industry’s expected average increase of 30%. She added that demand is very strong, and customers are already signing long-term contracts for 2026 and 2027.
