DDR4 and LPDDR4 Supply Shortages Drive Record Price Hikes in 2H25, TrendForce Reports

TrendForce reported a persistent undersupply in the DDR4 market, leading to significant price increases through the second half of 2025. Server orders are prioritizing supply, limiting availability for PC and consumer markets, which has pushed PC OEMs to accelerate DDR5 adoption. Consumer electronics manufacturers face high prices and material shortages, while mobile DRAM contract prices, particularly for LPDDR4X, saw a 38–43% quarterly increase in 3Q25, the largest in nearly a decade.

In the PC segment, limited production capacity has favored server demand, resulting in a rare price inversion where 8GB PC DDR4 modules surpassed DDR5 prices in July. This has forced PC OEMs to reduce DDR4 model production and shift to DDR5 systems, signaling a gradual phase-out of DDR4 in new PC models. In the server market, DDR4 remains standard for AI computing and high-efficiency data processing, with cloud service providers placing intensive orders with major DRAM suppliers. TrendForce anticipates server DDR4 demand will ease as DDR5 penetration grows in 2026.

The consumer DRAM market, encompassing industrial control, networking, TVs, and controllers, faces severe supply constraints due to lower priority in supplier allocations. Consumer DDR4 contract prices rose 60–85% in July, with 3Q25 projections revised to an 85–90% quarterly increase. For LPDDR4X, use...