Key facts
- DRAM prices reached roughly double their end-2025 level, Nikkei reported, as makers prioritized AI data-center supply over commodity chips.
- PC shipments in Japan fell 30% year on year in the April-September period as memory supplies tightened, Nikkei reported.
- DRAMeXchange said the average October price of 8-gigabit DDR4 DRAM used in PCs rose 5.77% to $27.50 from $26 in September.
- TrendForce expects South Korean DRAM makers to cut PC DRAM production in 2027 by 20% to 40% from 2026.
- Intel forecast fourth-quarter revenue of $15 billion to $16 billion, below the $16.5 billion it reported in the third quarter.
DRAM semiconductor memory prices reached roughly double their level at the end of 2025, Nikkei reported on November 3, 2026, as manufacturers of the mainstay chips prioritized supplies for artificial intelligence applications in data centers over commodity products such as personal computers. Shipments of personal computers in Japan fell 30% year on year in the April-September period as memory supplies tightened, according to the report.
Market research firm DRAMeXchange said on October 30 that the average price of 8-gigabit DDR4 DRAM used in PCs rose 5.77% to $27.50 in October from $26 in September, the 19th consecutive monthly gain. TrendForce, the parent company of DRAMeXchange, expects South Korean DRAM manufacturers to cut PC DRAM production in 2027 by 20% to 40% from 2026, and forecasts PC DRAM contract prices will rise 13% to 18% in the fourth quarter from the previous quarter.
Intel forecast that its total fourth-quarter revenue would fall short of the third quarter's $16.5 billion, ranging between $15 billion and $16 billion, according to MoneyToday. The report said Intel's third-quarter PC business revenue was $8.1 billion, down 9% from the previous quarter.