Samsung NAND Flash Memory Price Jump Planned for 2026 Amid Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Growth

Samsung is planning to nearly double NAND flash memory prices in Q2 2026 following a 100% increase in Q1 2026.
The shift towards large AI infrastructure deployments, especially in data centers, has significantly increased demand for storage space.
Samsung and its competitors are producing more high bandwidth memory (HBM), which has reduced the supply of regular NAND, resulting in higher prices.
Average contract prices for 128Gb MLC NAND have increased by 33.9% in one month to $12.67, whereas annual growth saw a 452.3% price rise compared to the previous year.
The concentration of production on high-demand HBM reduces NAND supply, enhancing Samsung’s negotiating power and market influence.
The unstable chip market reflects the crucial role NAND now plays in AI inference, transforming it into a high-demand commodity.
Samsung’s price strategy is likely to set the industry trend, likely prompting other major players like Kioxia and SK Hynix to follow suit.
The market instability underscores the ongoing and strong demand for AI hardware, ensuring high prices for NAND through mid-2026.

You may have missed