Korean customs data shows DRAM and NAND prices surging hard enough to make SSD buyers wince.
Fresh import and export figures from Korea’s customs department show demand for DRAM and NAND has swollen to daft levels. That is feeding straight into global memory and SSD markets, where prices are moving like someone put rocket fuel in the spreadsheet.
The data compares per-unit prices against the previous month across DRAM, NAND and related product segments. Some areas saw hikes of up to 63 per cent in a single month.
DRAM alone, excluding memory modules, rose 20.9 per cent from April to 10 May 2026. Year on year, the price jump was close to 500 per cent, which says plenty about the AI supercycle’s appetite for memory.
DRAM-based memory products had a stranger month. They fell 13.9 per cent compared with April, but were still up 326.3 per cent year on year.
That category covers DDR5 memory such as UDIMM, SODIMM and RDIMM, along with standard DDR and LPDDR products. The broader memory segment was still up 28.8 per cent month on month and 326.3 per cent year on year.
HBM memory prices rose 18.7 per cent against the previous month and 165.5 per cent against the prior year. Given AI outfits are stuffing accelerators with the stuff, that is hardly a shock.
Flash memory, or NAND flash, had the biggest monthly jump. NAND products rose 63.1 per cent from April and 351.6 per cent year on year.
The full Korean customs breakdown puts memory at $82,680 per kg, up 326.3 per cent year on year and 28.8 per cent month on month.
DRAM hit $89,498 per kg, up 497.4 per cent year on year and 20.9 per cent month on month. Flash memory reached $67,307 per kg, up 351.6 per cent year on year and 63.1 per cent month on month.
MCP, which includes HBM, came in at $78,752 per kg, up 165.5 per cent year on year and 18.7 per cent month on month. DRAM modules landed at $29,882 per kg, up 351.2 per cent year on year but down 13.9 per cent month on month.
The price surge is huge, and Samsung has already warned that 2027 could be worse than 2026. Memory makers are trying to increase production, but fabs do not pop out of the ground.
Building new production capacity usually takes two to three years before mass production arrives. That leaves buyers stuck with tight supply while AI firms keep slurping up memory.
Chinese DRAM makers are ramping production to meet domestic demand. That push is being accelerated by local AI companies, which need more memory and do not fancy waiting politely in the global queue.
There is one odd twist in the consumer market. Trendforce said spot prices for consumer NAND products, including TLC-based SSDs, have fallen by 30 to 40 per cent.
That drop stems from a slowdown in PC demand, with consumers holding off on new devices due to higher prices. General-purpose consumer SSD inventory is piling up, so spot pricing is softening.
Contract prices tell a different story. MLC-based SSDs rose 50 per cent, while SLC-based SSDs climbed 20 per cent.
The focus remains firmly on AI storage and DRAM. Micron, Samsung, SK Hynix and Kioxia are all steering capacity towards the AI boom, because that is where the fat margins are hiding.
On current trends, NAND prices are expected to rise 70 to 75 per cent during the current quarter.
