Lexar warns: RAM prices could (further) double by the end of the year

The RAM memory market may face a new and significant wave of price increases by the end of 2026. This is supported by Chris Xia, the regional manager of Lexar for Australia and New Zealand, who believes that the price of memory modules destined for consumers could even double in the coming months.

Recently, some users have noticed greater price stability and, in some cases, particularly interesting promotional offers. However, Xia believes that these instances do not represent a real change in trend. According to the manager, many retailers are simply trying to clear their warehouses of previously acquired stock, recouping cash and preparing space for new products that will arrive at higher costs.

The situation is underpinned by the growing demand for memory from the artificial intelligence sector. The leading global DRAM chip manufacturers, namely Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron, are allocating an increasingly larger share of their production capacity to high-bandwidth memory used in AI systems. As a result, the availability of components destined for the consumer market is progressively decreasing.

Lexar reflects on the future of RAM: cost increases will continue Already at the end of 2025, some industry observers had predicted a phase of price stabilization, albeit at levels higher than in the past. However, market conditions seem to have evolved differently, and various players now believe that price increases will continue even in the second half of the year.

Xia also emphasizes that the effects of industrial costs generally take many months to reflect in final prices. For this reason, the current trend could merely represent the beginning of a longer phase of increases. Further confusion arises from the fact that some distributors are still able to source unsold stock from other geographic areas that were purchased when prices were lower. These products can be sold under more favorable conditions, but only until supplies run out.

The impact of the memory crisis does not only concern RAM. According to forecasts, the PC market could also experience a shipment decline exceeding 10%, while sales of motherboards have already suffered a significant contraction.