DRAM and NAND flash prices stabilize in March

Prices of DRAM and NAND flash in March remained in the same level as they were in January, according to DRAMeXchange.

Average fixed prices of PC DRAM (DDR4 8Gb) was US$3 in March, the same as January.

DRAM prices dropped throughout at end of 2020, but increased 5.26% from the previous month in January. This was likely due to high demand for notebooks due to the increase in stay-at-home working culture.

Market research firm TrendForce said PC DRAM buyers were keeping a relatively low inventory of 4 to 5 weeks. They will continue to stock up in expectations of chip price increasing, the firm said.

DRAM prices are expected to increase in April. Conventionally, April, the first month of the second quarter, is when companies negotiate the price of chips for the quarter. 

DDR4 8Gb price is expected to exceed US$3 in the second quarter and continue to increase up to the third quarter. The second quarter is the on-season for servers, which will boost server DRAM prices.

128Gb multi level cell (MLC) NAND flash average fixed price remained US$4.2 in March, the same as it was for the past six months. Demand for them remained low due to the pandemic, TrendForce noted. But their price is also expected to increase in April.