According to TrendForce, global DRAM industry revenue jumped 81% sequentially in Q1 2026 to reach $97 billion. As AI shifts from training to inference, cloud vendors accelerated general‑server builds, releasing strong demand for RDIMMs. Server memory absorbed so much capacity that commodity DRAM contract prices rose 93–98% in a single quarter – nearly doubling.

For Q2 2026, TrendForce expects another 58–63% contract price increase as server orders continue to crowd out capacity. PC and phone OEMs face tight supply, and cloud buyers have accepted higher pricing.

On the supply side, new fabs take years to build. The three major DRAM makers (Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron) can only add capacity through process and equipment upgrades, so wafer start growth is limited. The tight DRAM supply/demand balance is unlikely to reverse soon.

ICgoodFind: AI‑driven server RDIMM demand keeps squeezing commodity DRAM, pushing contract prices up for at least two quarters.