DRAM and NAND flash memory contract prices increase by 13-18% and 18-13%, respectively

We're starting to sound like a broken record (or a buffering stream, if you're not old enough to remember vinyl), but there are factors at play that could drive up system memory and solid-state drive (SSD) prices throughout 2024. After several consecutive quarters of declines in DRAM and NAND flash memory prices, chip makers find themselves staring at a rebound, with hopes of sustaining a price rally for the full year.

According to TrendForce, DRAM contract prices had been on a downswing for eight consecutive quarters before finally being reversed in the fourth quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, NAND contract prices had similarly declined for four straight quarters before rebounding in the third quarter of last year. The reversal is new enough that it's easy to overlook in the retail market, but could become more prominent if the efforts by chip suppliers to control capacity utilization rates prove effective.