South Korea’s memory chip prices hit records as cost lands on its own industry



Briefings South Korea’s memory chip prices hit records as cost lands on its own industry DRAM contract prices rose to $24 in July from $5.30 a year earlier, and Samsung’s phone division lost 700 billion won KOREA PROAugust 4, 2026 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Automated electronics production line, June 10, 2025 \| Image: Unsplash Contract prices for standard memory chips reached record highs in July, with the benchmark DDR4 8Gb chip rising 14.3% from June to $24, its highest level since DRAMeXchange began compiling the figure in June 2016, Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday. Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources’ (MOTIR) latest trade report showed the same benchmark averaging $5.30 in the third quarter of 2025, and put the newer DDR5 16Gb chip at $45 in July and NAND flash storage chips at $30.05. Prices in the open market, where buyers purchase chips as they need them rather than under contracts fixed a © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Samsung, SK Hynix rejection exposes South Korea’s chip-grid financing problem 02Trump’s Cheongung social media post tests Seoul’s refusal to arm to Ukraine 03Lee Jae Myung risks public trust as South Korea rewires its justice system 04South Korea turns to Central Asia as Iran war tests its energy resilience 05Houthi seizure of Mokha sharpens South Korea’s Hormuz deployment dilemma 06Japan’s stronger yen may cut Korea’s import bill while raising funding costs 07South Korea leans on Europe as Hormuz deployment choices grow narrower 08Hanwha’s Austal bid shows where South Korea’s MASGA plan may be heading

Briefings

South Korea’s memory chip prices hit records as cost lands on its own industry

DRAM contract prices rose to $24 in July from $5.30 a year earlier, and Samsung’s phone division lost 700 billion won

KOREA PROAugust 4, 2026

South Korea’s memory chip prices hit records as cost lands on its own industry

Automated electronics production line, June 10, 2025 | Image: Unsplash

Contract prices for standard memory chips reached record highs in July, with the benchmark DDR4 8Gb chip rising 14.3% from June to $24, its highest level since DRAMeXchange began compiling the figure in June 2016, Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday. Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources’ (MOTIR) latest trade report showed the same benchmark averaging $5.30 in the third quarter of 2025, and put the newer DDR5 16Gb chip at $45 in July and NAND flash storage chips at $30.05.

Prices in the open market, where buyers purchase chips as they need them rather than under contracts fixed a

LATEST ANALYSIS

01Samsung, SK Hynix rejection exposes South Korea’s chip-grid financing problem
02Trump’s Cheongung social media post tests Seoul’s refusal to arm to Ukraine
03Lee Jae Myung risks public trust as South Korea rewires its justice system
04South Korea turns to Central Asia as Iran war tests its energy resilience
05Houthi seizure of Mokha sharpens South Korea’s Hormuz deployment dilemma
06Japan’s stronger yen may cut Korea’s import bill while raising funding costs
07South Korea leans on Europe as Hormuz deployment choices grow narrower
08Hanwha’s Austal bid shows where South Korea’s MASGA plan may be heading

South Korea’s memory chip prices hit records as cost lands on its own industry

LATEST ANALYSIS

Similar Articles

About the Author

KOREA PRO