DigiTimes, citing industry sources, reports that the price of HBM4 is expected to jump from about $2 per gigabit in the second half of 2026 to $4–5 per gigabit or higher in 2027. The price of HBM3E, which is currently at $1.5–$1.6 per gigabit, is also expected to rise in step.

The wave of price increases is being driven by a surge in demand for HBM4 ahead of Nvidia’s next-generation AI platform launch, along with severe supply constraints. Producing HBM4 requires wafer capacity 3 times that of DDR5 memory, with a production cycle of 4–6 months versus DDR5’s 3–3.5 months. In addition, long-term supply agreements (LTA) with major AI customers are tightening the amount of supply available, with estimates suggesting that 20–30% of DRAM production capacity could be reserved under contracts like these.