Samsung sold 80% of 2027 memory; RAM prices set to rise again

Samsung has already covered about 80% of its 2027 memory output with long-term contracts.

HBM is fully sold; consumer DRAM and NAND are 70% covered by five-year contracts. 1

KB Securities expects double-digit quarter-over-quarter consumer RAM price increases after the new year. 2

AI-generated content reviewed by the editorial team. How we work

Synthesis of 3 sources · 3 background articles ◎ Single origin Background from our archive

Shared origin: All sources relay the KB Securities report of October 20.

Original document: KB Securities

Jul 29, 2026 RAM Apocalypse: prices surge 600% as Micron kills Crucial brand
Oct 1, 2026 Morgan Stanley puts Nvidia at 37% of 2027 AI memory
Oct 2, 2026 Micron warns memory will be even tighter in 2027 and 2028
Oct 21, 2026 Samsung sold 80% of 2027 memory; RAM prices set to rise again

Samsung has already secured, through long-term supply contracts, about 80% of the memory output it plans for 2027. The estimate comes from KB Securities in a report dated October 20, which reads the figure as a new sign of double-digit RAM price increases on the consumer market as well.

The most locked-up segment is HBM, the high-bandwidth memory used mainly in data center accelerators: 100% of output is covered by annual agreements. For commodity memory, meaning the DRAM and NAND that end up in PCs and smartphones, about 70% is already covered by five-year contracts. Major data center operators, busy building new infrastructure, are left with the remaining 20% of capacity.

KB Securities expects the average selling price of HBM to rise between 100% and 150% year over year in 2027. That increase feeds into the consumer market: the bank expects double-digit quarter-over-quarter RAM price increases on the other side of the new year.

The same report also looks at the company's earnings. KB Securities forecasts Samsung's operating profit to grow 57% in 2027, to 555 trillion won, roughly $4 billion. The forecast follows a 19% fall in Samsung's share price over the recent period, which the bank attributes to weaker sentiment around AI investment and valuation adjustments linked to macroeconomic uncertainty. According to KB Securities, these factors do not affect earnings fundamentals, because output is already reserved by contracts and prices are rising.

The memory squeeze intersects with other moves by manufacturers. Samsung and SK Hynix are upgrading their factories in China to produce more advanced chips for AI data centers, Reuters reports, in response to growing Chinese competitors such as CXMT. Meanwhile SK hynix is discussing production plans with suppliers for its next-generation HBM, called iHBM, designed with cooling elements built into the package to improve heat dissipation.

For buyers, the advice remains not to panic-buy hardware, but near-term prospects point to prices that will keep climbing.

Related Articles