SK Hynix reported during its October earnings call that its HBM, DRAM, and NAND capacity is “essentially sold out” for 2026, while Micron recently exited the consumer memory market entirely to focus on enterprise and AI customers.
Enterprise hardware costs surge
The supply constraints have translated directly into sharp price increases across enterprise hardware. Samsung raised prices for 32GB DDR5 modules to $239 from $149 in September, a 60% increase, while contract pricing for DDR5 has surged more than 100%, reaching $19.50 per unit compared to around $7 earlier in 2025.
DRAM prices have already risen approximately 50% year to date and are expected to climb another 30% in Q4 2025, followed by an additional 20% in early 2026, according to Counterpoint Research. The firm projected that DDR5 64GB RDIMM modules, widely used in enterprise data centers, could cost twice as much by the end of 2026 as they did in early 2025.
Gartner forecast DRAM prices to increase by 47% in 2026 due to significant undersupply in both traditional and legacy DRAM markets, Chauhan said.
Procurement leverage shifts to hyperscalers
The pricing pressures and supply constraints are reshaping the power dynamics in enterprise procurement. For enterprise procurement, supplier size no longer guarantees stability. “As supply becomes more contested in 2026, procurement leverage will hinge less on volume and more on strategic alignment,” Rawat said.
Hyperscale cloud providers secure supply through long-term commitments, capacity reservations, and direct fab investments, obtaining lower costs and assured availability. Mid-market firms rely on shorter contracts and spot sourcing, competing for residual capacity after large buyers claim priority supply.
