The global memory industry is facing its most severe supply crunch in more than a decade. DRAM and NAND prices are rising at record speed, while high-bandwidth memory capacity is increasingly absorbed by artificial intelligence data centers.
The Pentagon briefly published an updated list of Chinese companies alleged to have ties to the People’s Liberation Army, then withdrew it within an hour. The episode highlights Washington’s attempt to ease trade tensions with Beijing while maintaining pressure on technology and national security ahead of an expected April meeting between President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
Apple has reportedly agreed to double the unit price it pays for NAND flash from Japan's Kioxia starting in the January–March quarter, with supply contracts moving to quarterly price adjustments linked to market conditions.
Winbond Electronics is entering a powerful demand cycle, with tight supply conditions across DRAM, NOR flash, and SLC NAND extending beyond the near term and reshaping customer behaviour across the memory supply chain.
Cisco Systems forecast quarterly gross margins below market expectations, citing higher memory chip costs. The weaker margin outlook overshadowed stronger-than-expected results and sent shares down about 7% in extended trading.
SK Hynix is expected to begin shipments this month of its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory, HBM4, a high-performance, low-power semiconductor designed for Nvidia's next-generation artificial intelligence accelerator, Vera Rubin.
China is preparing to initiate large-scale production of high-bandwidth memory (HBM), narrowing a technology gap with South Korea in a critical component for AI semiconductors. As Chinese manufacturers ramp up current-generation output, South Korean memory makers are moving to extend their market lead with next-generation products.
