[News] South Korea’s DRAM Prices Reportedly Soar 12.5-Fold in 3 Years, Outpacing Gold

The memory price rally is showing no signs of slowing, with gains far outpacing expectations. According to Chosun Biz, South Korea’s DRAM export prices have surged 12.5-fold from their low three years and seven months ago, with the price per kilogram now 41.7 times that of silver.

The report further puts DRAM’s soaring value in perspective by comparing it with precious metals: a kilogram of Korean-made DRAM can now buy roughly 620 grams of gold. Gold has also rallied sharply, driven by lower U.S. Treasury yields and a weaker dollar, but its price has risen just 2.4-fold over the same period—far less than DRAM, the report adds.

The surge is reflected in the latest trade data. According to the Korea Trade Statistics Promotion Institute (TRASS), cited by Chosun Biz, South Korea’s DRAM export price, excluding modules, reached $92,183 per kilogram (KRW 127.4 million) during Aug. 1–20, up 401.0% year on year. Export value also jumped 504.8% to $9.807 billion (KRW 13.56 trillion).

Some of the increase can be attributed to higher-density products, but that alone does not explain the scale of the rally. The capacity of a mainstream DRAM product has doubled from 8Gb (1GB) to 16Gb (2GB) as process technology and chip density have advanced, the report notes.

Among major DRAM segments, server DRAM—a key memory category for cloud service providers (CSPs)—has seen particularly sharp contract price increases. According to TrendForce, contract prices jumped 64% cumulatively in 2H25 and are projected to surge another 270% in 2026. After climbing 53–58% QoQ in 2Q26, server DDR5 prices are expected to rise another 13–18% in 3Q and 3–8% in 4Q, keeping the upward momentum firmly in place, TrendForce notes.

DRAM Price Shock Spreads Across Global Markets

The price shock is spreading well beyond South Korea. Citing German hardware specialist 3D Center, Chosun Ilbo reports that Germany’s DDR5 retail price index climbed to 486% in August, up 41 percentage points from 445% in July. With July 2025 set as the 100% baseline, the reading means DDR5 retail prices have risen 4.86-fold in just over a year, the report explains.

Other major markets are seeing similar pressure. In the U.S., 32GB DDR5 kits that sold for $100–$200 last year now reportedly start at around $350, when available. Japan has also seen the floor price for a 128GB DDR5 kit comprising two 64GB modules climb to roughly ¥300,000, Chosun Ilbo reports.

Read more

• [News] Germany DDR5 Prices Near 5X YoY in August; China Reportedly Sees 14% WoW Jump as Global Rally Continues
• [Insights] Memory Spot Price Update: DDR5 Spot Momentum Continues as DDR4 Tightness Spills Over to DDR3

(Photo credit: Samsung)