DDR‑5 prices fell, while the stocks of Micron, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rose

Price reductions for DDR modules after a period of growth

After almost a year of rising memory costs, prices began falling in several regions.

Why prices fell
1. Market overvaluation in October
Early this year forecasts spoke of “absorption” of large volumes of DRAM by AI companies, especially after OpenAI announced plans to buy up to 900,000 wafers per month. This heightened expectations of supply contraction.

2. Declining demand
Recent data show that interest in memory has waned: companies are shifting strategies and seeking more cost‑effective solutions.

3. Technological innovations
Google introduced TurboQuant – a data compression method for large language models that can reduce the required memory by at least 50 %. This cuts the need for new modules and fuels doubts about further price increases.

Impact on the stock market
- Micron fell almost 10 % on Monday, trading now roughly 30 % below its March 18 peak.
- Samsung Electronics and SK hynix lost more than 20 % in March due to a sale in South Korea, and by Tuesday their prices had fallen another 5.2 % and 7.6 %, respectively.

Despite the declines, both companies’ stocks remain noticeably above levels reached several months ago.

Thus, after a period of growth, DDR memory prices have steadily declined thanks to reduced demand from AI firms and the emergence of more efficient data storage methods. This has led to significant volatility in both memory prices and manufacturer stock prices.