The DDR4 Price Spike: What’s Behind the Surge
https://info.fusionww.com/blog/the-ddr4-price-spike-whats-behind-the-surgeIn late May 2025, the memory market saw a sharp and sudden movement: DDR4 spot prices surged significantly. An 8Gb DDR4 that cost $3.20 is now hovering near $8. For 16gb chips, the leap was just as dramatic, from $5.50 to ~$16.
But this isn’t a short-term spike. It is the result of a deeper transformation in how memory supply chains are structured and managed, and businesses need to take notice.
At Fusion Worldwide, we have been tracking these dynamics closely. In our previous article, “Memory Supply Tightens: Why Forecasts Matter More Than Inventory,” we explored the industry-wide transition toward forecast-driven procurement. What we are seeing now with DDR4 is a textbook example of that shift in action and its ripple effects are only beginning.
What’s Causing the DDR4 Price Surge?
1. The Phase Out
Leading memory manufacturers including Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix are shifting their focus toward next-generation technologies such as DDR5, LPDDR5X, and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). As production lines are reallocated, DDR4 output has decreased more rapidly than many anticipated. With shrinking manufacturing capacity for DDR4, supply has begun to dry up faster than many anticipated.
2. Tariff Pressure and Demand Buildup
The U.S.–China trade environment added fuel to the fire. With new tariffs looming, many buyers rushed to stockpile memory before the grace period ended. This short-term demand spike compounded an already tightening supply, pushing prices sharply upward in a matter of weeks.
3. China’s Pullback and End of Oversupply
Previously, Chinese manufacturers like CXMT and Fujian Jinhua had flooded the market with low-priced DDR4, significantly undercutting global competitors and creating a period of oversupply. However, the Chinese government recently instructed these firms to halt DDR4 production. This abrupt shift has effectively ended the oversupply and immediately tightened global supply of DDR4.