On August 5, 2026, the storage chip spot market saw its most notable price movement in recent weeks. According to the latest midday data from TrendForce, ChinaFlashMarket, and other institutions, DRAM spot prices rebounded across the board after several weeks of declines, with DDR5 chips leading the gains. NAND Flash remained at low levels overall, but showed clear signs of stabilizing, with some specifications even ticking up. Behind this price shift is the combined effect of sustained AI server demand and capacity adjustments by upstream manufacturers.
DRAM Spot: DDR5 Leads, DDR4 Follows With Rebound
As of midday August 5, the average spot price of mainstream DDR5 16Gb (2Gx8) chips rose 3.2% from the previous day to $5.12, the largest single-day gain in nearly a month. DDR4 8Gb (1Gx8) chips also rebounded to $2.28, up 1.3%. Server DDR5 RDIMM module prices followed, with 32GB kits breaking above $95. Channel distributors report that some manufacturers have signaled higher Q4 contract prices.
Market analysts attribute the DRAM rebound to three main factors. First, demand for DDR5 from AI servers and high-end PCs continues to beat expectations, and some cloud vendors are securing large orders early. Second, Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron have confirmed plans to cut DDR4 capacity in the second half of the year and shift production to high-margin HBM and DDR5, tightening standard DRAM supply. Third, channel inventories are at healthy levels after Q2 digestion, boosting traders' willingness to restock.
NAND Flash: Stabilizing, Some Specs See Test Price Hikes
The NAND Flash spot market also showed positive signals. 512Gb TLC chips held at $2.80 for two consecutive days, ending a three-week losing streak, while 256Gb TLC chips edged up 1.1% to $1.45. This prompted some small and mid-sized manufacturers to test price increases of about 2%-3% for eMMC and UFS embedded storage.
Consumer SSD end-user prices, however, remained weak as channel distributors continued clearing low-priced inventory. The average market price of 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs stayed in the $42-$45 range, roughly flat from last week. In contrast, enterprise SSD prices stayed firm, with manufacturers' orders booked through Q4 due to heavy adoption of high-capacity enterprise SSDs in AI servers.
Market Insight: Has the Cycle Turning Point Arrived?
Many brokerage analysts note that the DRAM spot price increase is a leading indicator. Historical experience shows spot prices usually bottom out one to two months before contract prices. If the current rally continues into mid-August, the probability of Q3 contract prices stabilizing or slightly rising will increase significantly. However, the NAND market remains oversupplied, the effect of manufacturers' production cuts has not fully materialized, and weak consumer application demand remains the biggest uncertainty weighing on prices.
Notably, quotes from some electronic component trading platforms in China today showed domestic DDR4 chips also strengthening. ChangXin Memory Technologies' CXMT 8Gb DDR4 price rose from RMB 2.2 to RMB 2.3, reflecting accelerating domestic memory substitution.
Outlook: AI Demand Remains the Core Theme
Over the coming weeks, the storage chip market will enter the traditional stocking season. With Apple, Huawei, and other device makers about to launch new products, demand for mobile LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0 is expected to recover. However, industry insiders caution that spot prices may remain volatile in the short term and some traders could speculate on the situation. They advise downstream buyers to stay prudent and schedule purchases based on inventory and orders.
As of press time, DRAM spot prices were still seeing scattered increases, while NAND flash chip quotes were stabilizing. We will continue to track daily prices and provide timely, accurate market updates.
