Memory Price Tracking: DDR3 steady increase, DDR4/DDR5 prices remain high, weak demand

The spot memory market is showing a clear pattern of divergence. DDR3 is continuing to strengthen thanks to its pricing advantage, while DDR4 and DDR5 have fallen into a deadlock between buyers and sellers due to high prices and weak demand. NAND Flash is also under pressure, and overall market sentiment is becoming more cautious.

According to TrendForce’s latest report tracking spot memory prices, as of the week of March 31, the average price of mainstream DDR4 chips (DDR4 1Gx8 3200MT/s) edged down by 0.12% to $33.96. DDR5 prices also continued to remain weak.

Although suppliers adopt an aggressive price-cutting strategy, module makers only place small-batch purchases when prices are far below prevailing market levels, resulting in a standoff between both sides. In China’s market, the prices of some modules disassembled from secondhand equipment have fallen sharply, but the impact on the overall market trend is limited.

Spot memory market divergence intensifies

This week, the DDR4 and DDR5 spot markets have continued to display weakness. TrendForce states that end-user demand remains constrained by high prices. Contract prices for the second quarter of 2026 have not yet been announced. With no clear direction in the market, trading appetite is suppressed on two fronts.

Although suppliers proactively lower their quotes, the effect is limited. The week-over-week drop in the average price of mainstream DDR4 chips is only 0.12%, indicating there is limited room for prices to decline further, and there is also a lack of momentum on the upside.

Unlike the sluggish DDR4 and DDR5, the DDR3 spot market has held up relatively firmly this week. TrendForce notes that DDR3 has a clear pricing advantage, combined with intermittent boosts from occasional urgent orders. In the low-price regions, real demand from spot buyers has remained steady, and price trends for chips across different brands are trending relatively flat.

This market structure indicates that against the backdrop of overall weak demand, some cost-sensitive buyers are shifting to DDR3 with lower prices as a substitute, providing a relatively independent support logic for this sub-market.

The NAND Flash spot market is also weakening this week. TrendForce points out that module makers make small-batch purchases only when prices are clearly lower than the market level, and the momentum between buyers and sellers is insufficient. The spot price of 512Gb TLC fell by 2.97% this week, and pressure from supply-demand imbalances still exists.

DDR5 prices plunge in China’s retail market; industry insiders say it is concentrated in disassembled module stock

Recently, DDR5 prices in China’s retail market have dropped sharply, drawing attention.

In the Huaqiangbei electronics market, DDR5 spot prices fell by around 30%. The 32GB module dropped from nearly 3000 yuan to around 2500 yuan, and some clearance quotes fell as low as 1950 yuan. The prices of mainstream 16GB DDR5-5600/6000 modules on local e-commerce platforms have also fallen from about 1300 yuan in January–February this year to around 1000 yuan, bringing the cumulative decline to 25%–30%.

TrendForce reported that, citing industry insiders, this drop is mainly concentrated in spot modules from disassembled (scrapped) units, while pricing for native IC modules is basically stable. For 1G DDR5 modules,成交 prices from major memory manufacturers are maintained in the $5–$7.5 range, mainly reflecting secondary-market supply conditions for recycled ICs.

Richard’s Research Blog’s analysis believes that spot-market DRAM chips and modules account for only 1%–5% of the overall DRAM market. The “cliff-like” drop appearing on China’s retail side more reflects concentrated fluctuations in niche channels rather than a systematic deterioration of overall market demand.

Behind the price pullback: demand softness driven by sentiment

On the reasons for the recent softness in DRAM prices, Richard‘s Research Blog analysis suggests that this round of adjustment is more of a market correction rather than a demand shock. PC DRAM and mobile DRAM spot and retail prices have continued to weaken from February to March this year. This has led manufacturers, distributors, and traders that had accumulated inventory during the preceding uptrend to choose profit-taking and closing out their positions.

Some market voices view Google TurboQuant as a catalyst that suppresses memory demand. The analysis takes a different view, arguing that TurboQuant is essentially an artificial intelligence data center inference technology with almost no direct link to PC DIMM pricing, and any impact is only marginal in niche AI PC application scenarios.

The analysis also notes that contract prices are still holding firm. With PC DIMM spot prices falling sharply, it shows that this round of volatility is driven mainly by sentiment—traders and inventory holders locking in profits amid negative news flow—rather than being constrained by an actual deterioration in demand.

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