South Korea's DRAM August Export Prices Surge 401% YoY; SK Hynix Says Next Year Could Be Worst Memory Shortage Year

South Korea's DRAM export prices continue to surge, with AI-driven HBM production squeezing supply of conventional memory. Data shows that from the 1st to the 20th of this month, South Korea's DRAM export unit price reached $92,183 per kilogram, up 401% year-over-year, and approximately 12.5 times higher than the low point in January 2023.

Goldman Sachs expects the DRAM supply deficit to widen from 5.0% this year to 5.9% next year, noting that HBM required for AI servers and high-capacity server DRAM are absorbing limited production capacity, further tightening conventional DRAM supply, with shortages potentially persisting until 2028. TrendForce forecasts that by the end of next year, wafer input for HBM production at Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron will account for 30% of total DRAM wafer input, but HBM will only represent about 13% of actual DRAM bit supply. Memory manufacturers warn that AI-driven supply tightness in DRAM and NAND could persist beyond 2027. SK Hynix stated that from the supply side, 2027 could become the most severe shortage year in the history of the memory industry.

[ChainCatcher]