China’s Memory Prices Begin to Cool

China's memory market is showing early signs of relief after months of steep price hikes. According to reports from Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei market, second-hand 16GB DDR4 memory modules have fallen over 30% from their early-2026 peak, although prices remain significantly higher than a year ago.

Despite this decline, PC building remains far more expensive than last year. Memory costs have surged nearly fivefold, while rising component prices have weakened consumer demand and delayed purchases across the PC market.

Strong global demand for AI infrastructure continues to tighten memory chip supplies, pushing up prices for smartphones, PCs, cameras, and AI devices. Retail prices for mainstream 1TB SSDs have more than doubled, while DDR5 memory kits have climbed over 300% year-on-year.

Pricing trends, however, are diverging across hardware categories. GPU prices have largely stabilized, with only premium models seeing notable increases, while CPU prices have softened as vendors adjust to weaker demand for DDR5-only platforms.

Market analysts expect DRAM supply to remain constrained through the third quarter of 2026. However, slowing consumer demand and a higher comparison base are likely to moderate future memory price increases, signaling a gradual return toward market stability.