March 4, 2025 /SemiMedia/ — The NAND flash market is seeing a price rebound after a prolonged downturn, driven by strategic production cuts from major suppliers and increasing demand for AI applications. Meanwhile, DRAM prices have remained stable.

NAND prices, which had been declining since H2 2024, began recovering in January. As of February 28, the average fixed transaction price of general NAND flash (128Gb 16Gx8 MLC) rose to $2.29, marking a 5.29% month-over-month increase. The price surge is attributed to supply reductions by Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Micron, and Kioxia, helping to ease oversupply. Additionally, China’s subsidies have boosted smartphone sales, accelerating NAND inventory consumption.

Analysts expect the combination of supply cuts and AI-driven demand to fuel NAND price recovery in Q2 2025. TrendForce forecasts that smartphone brands will stock up on low-cost NAND inventory during this period, taking advantage of slowing price declines. Furthermore, if Nvidia ramps up shipments of its Blackwell series AI chips in H2 2025, enterprise SSDs and other high-value NAND products could see renewed demand.

In contrast, DRAM prices have remained stable for three consecutive months. As of February 28, the average fixed transaction price of PC DRAM (DDR4 8Gb 1Gx8) held steady at $1.35, unchanged from the previous month. This stabilization follows a sharp 20.59% decline in November 2023. TrendForce notes that concerns over U.S. import tariffs prompted PC manufacturers to stockpile inventory in advance, accelerating DRAM consumption.

Despite this, most DRAM suppliers and PC makers have finalized their Q1 supply agreements, with DRAM prices expected to decline by 10–15% this quarter. Additionally, SK Hynix’s focus on server DRAM production has temporarily constrained PC DRAM supply, while delays in Chinese manufacturers’ capacity expansion have further impacted availability.