Korean customs export/import data has been updated, showcasing the massive DRAM & NAND price surge that will affect global memory and SSD markets.
NAND & DRAM Demand Has Swollen To Record Levels & Korean Semiconductor Firms Are Earning Big Time Due To Memory & SSD Price Surges
The latest data from the Korean customs import/export department, specifically focusing on DRAM and NAND segments, has been released.
As per the new data, DRAM & NAND demand surge can clearly be seen, which has affected all major tech components, with their prices seeing a massive hike of up to 63% in a single month. The data compares the per-unit price versus the previous month for each DRAM and NAND product segment.
First up, we have DRAM alone (excluding memory modules), which surged by 20.9% versus the previous month (April vs until 10th May 2026). The year-over-year price is shocking, almost hitting a 500% price hike, which shows just how much demand there is for DRAM due to the AI supercycle.
As for memory products which are based on DRAM modules, those saw a slight decline of -13.9% versus the last month and a yearly surge of 326.3%. This covers DDR5 memory such as UDIMM, SODIMM, and RDIMM, in standard DDR and LPDDR standards, but the overall memory segment was still up 28.8% and 326.3% versus the prior year.
HBM memory standards also saw a price surge of 18.7% versus the previous month, and a 165.5% bump versus the previous year. Flash Memory or NAND Flash, which goes into SSDs and is mainly used for storage solutions, saw the biggest surge versus last month. Prices of NAND Flash products surged 63.1% versus the last month, and were up 351.6% versus the prior year.
The following is the full breakdown of the Korean customs data for DRAM and NAND, plus the respective products:
| Category | Unit Price | YoY Price Growth | MoM Price Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory | $82,680/kg | +326.3% | +28.8% |
| DRAM | $89,498/kg | +497.4% | +20.9% |
| Flash Memory | $67,307/kg | +351.6% | +63.1% |
| MCP (HBM) | $78,752/kg | +165.5% | +18.7% |
| DRAM Module | $29,882/kg | +351.2% | -13.9% |
The pricing surge is definitely massive, and if we go by Samsung's recent statements, the situation will be far worse in 2027 than it is in 2026. DRAM and NAND manufacturers are trying to bolster their production capabilities, but factories aren't set up overnight, and it will take at least 2-3 years to construct them and reach mass production stages. Chinese DRAM makers are also ramping up their own production capacity to meet domestic requirements, which is being accelerated due to demand from AI firms.
On the other hand, Trendforce reports that spot prices for consumer-oriented NAND products such as TLC-based SSDs have been seeing a decline, and reached -30% to -40%. This is a result of a slowdown in the PC market as consumers are staying away from purchasing new devices due to higher prices. With a surplus of inventory for general-purpose consumer SSDs, the prices are seeing a drop.
The same cannot be said for contact prices, which saw a 50% surge for MLC-based SSDs and a 20% surge in SLC-based SSDs. The core focus remains on AI-oriented storage products and DRAM with firms such as Micron, Samsung, SK Hynix, Koixia, all focusing towards the AI boom. Given the current trend, NAND prices are expected to see a 70-75% surge during the current quarter.
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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