South Korean DRAM Export Price Surges 401% YoY in August, Hynix Expects Next Year to Be the Most Supply-Constrained Year in Memory Industry History

BlockBeats News, August 26th. According to South Korea's Chosun Ilbo, the export price of Korean DRAM continues to surge, with AI-driven HBM production squeezing the supply of mainstream memory. Data shows that from the 1st to the 20th of this month, the export unit price of Korean DRAM reached $92,183 per kilogram, a 401% year-on-year increase, and about 12.5 times higher than the January 2023 low.

Goldman Sachs expects the DRAM supply shortfall to increase from 5.0% this year to 5.9% next year. They believe that the limited production capacity is being absorbed by HBM required for AI servers and large-capacity server DRAM, further tightening the supply of mainstream DRAM. The supply shortage may persist until 2028.

TrendForce forecasts that by the end of next year, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron's wafer input for HBM production will account for 30% of the total wafer input for DRAM, but the actual HBM will only represent about 13% of the DRAM bit supply. Memory manufacturers warn that the tight supply of DRAM and NAND, driven by AI demand, may continue beyond 2027. SK Hynix stated that from a supply perspective, 2027 might become the "most severe shortage year in the history of the memory industry."