In the second quarter of 2026, the consumer memory market faced an unprecedented price surge. According to SigmaIntel's research, the cost of some types of DRAM increased by almost 90% compared to the previous quarter amid persistent shortages and manufacturers' reorientation towards more profitable artificial intelligence solutions.
The most significant growth was recorded in the LPDDR memory segment. For instance, the cost of 96 Gbit (12 GB) LPDDR5X chips rose by 89% — from $77.1 to $145.9. 32 Gbit (4 GB) LPDDR chips increased by 75%, reaching $45.9.
In the DRAM segment, the price of 16-gigabit modules increased by 49% — from $19.2 to $28.5. The cost of 16 GB DDR4 sticks rose from $137 to $207.1, representing a 51% increase. Analysts note that the situation with DDR5 is even more complex, but data for this segment was not included in the report.
The market for storage devices was also significantly affected by price increases. The price of 512 GB NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSDs rose by 54%, reaching $126.3. 256 GB UFS 3.1 drives more than doubled in price — by 103%, to $62.7. The cost of 16 GB eMMC 5.1 flash memory increased by 69%, and uMCP solutions by 107%.
The price increase is already reflected in the cost of finished electronics. Laptop and smartphone manufacturers have raised prices for their products, and gaming devices have also been affected. According to analysts, the memory shortage could persist until 2028, so a significant price reduction is not expected in the coming years.