[Insights] Memory Spot Price Update: DRAM Spot Market Edges Higher as Branded DDR4 Demand Supports Prices

According to TrendForce’s latest memory spot price trend report, DRAM spot prices edged higher this week as branded DDR4 chips attracted more inquiries, though cautious buying and limited supplier willingness kept trading activity subdued. In NAND Flash, the spot market remained under pressure amid weak consumer demand, with only selective enterprise SSD-related stocking activity providing temporary support. Details are as follows:

DRAM Spot Price:

The DRAM spot market has seen a slight overall uptick this week, with inquiries largely focused on branded DDR4 chips. However, transactions are generally limited due to suppliers’ reluctance to sell at perceived low prices and buyers’ hesitation to chase higher prices. The average spot price of mainstream chips (i.e., DDR4 1Gx8 3200MT/s) increased by 3.27% from US$39.8 last week (July 15) to US$41.1 this week (July 21).

NAND Flash Spot Price:

Overall spot market remains sluggish due to withering consumer demand. However, a certain module house, who recently saw a high visibility on enterprise SSD orders, has turned to the spot market to stock up aggressively, as suppliers are insufficient in wafers and higher in quotations. This led to a temporal halt to the depletion of spot prices. Having said that, most buyers have reached their limit of cost tolerance, aside from stocking activities among specific module houses, where order pulls from the consumer end remains on the passive end. Without support from substantial buy orders, the overall spot market still lacks momentum in price rebounds. Spot prices of 512Gb TLC wafers dropped by 1.28% this week (July 20), arriving at US$18.931.