Monthly Memory & Flash Market Watch
May 2026
Union rally causes Samsung fab production to plummet by 58% during night shift — over 40,000 people attended rally for better pay and bonuses
• The disruption was caused by a large union rally, nearly one‑third of Samsung’s semiconductor fab workforce, showing that even a short labor action can have an immediate and measurable impact on highly automated semiconductor operations. A prolonged strike could undermine Samsung’s lead in next‑generation memory (such as AI‑related chips) and potentially drive customers toward competitors like SK hynix, while also pushing prices higher across the industry.
Kioxia, Solidigm and SanDisk invests in Nanya Technology
• The move reflects a capital‑light expansion strategy for the companies: instead of direct fab investment, they gain strategic influence, supply visibility, and ecosystem resilience through financial participation. By backing Nanya’s 10nm‑class DRAM roadmap (DDR5 and LPDDR5), Kioxia and SanDisk position themselves closer to next‑generation memory technologies needed for high‑performance computing, enterprise storage, and AI accelerators.
SK hynix Begins Supply of 321-layer QLC NAND Up to 2TB cSSD
• This move marks a major milestone in ultra‑high‑layer NAND commercialization. The new product, PQC21, is positioned as a next‑generation storage solution for the AI PC era, targeting systems that require high capacity, strong performance, and improved power efficiency. QLC NAND’s share of the global cSSD market is expected to grow from 22% in 2025 to 61% by 2027 according to IDC projections. The supply launch supports SK hynix’s strategy to secure leadership in QLC‑based client, full‑scale shipments to Dell Technologies began in April 2026, with SK hynix planning to broaden supply to additional global OEMs over time.
Micron begins volume shipment of HBM4 36GB 12H
•This line is designed for Nvidia’s Vera Rubin AI platform. HBM4 achieves pin speeds exceeding 11 Gb/s, delivering aggregate bandwidth greater than 2.8 TB/s, which represents a 2.3× bandwidth increase over HBM3E.To support future capacity scaling, The firm also samples HBM4 48GB 16‑high (16H) stacks, enabling a 33% increase in capacity per HBM placement versus the 36GB 12H product, demonstrating advanced packaging capabilities.
SUPPLY TREND
2026 – 2027 Worldwide NAND Flash Output
demand for legacy‑node SSDs is minimal within overall SSD shipments. Rapid expansion in AI‑related applications in 2026 is expected to drive sustained growth in demand for mainstream advanced‑node 3D‑type SSD products.
2026-2027 Worldwide DRAM Output
2025-2026 NAND Price Trend & Sufficiency Ratio
Flash Sufficiency: CSP-driven AI expansion caused severe NAND shortages starting from Q3’25, and this might last during the entire 2026.
Price Trend: overall NAND flash price rose sharply in Q4’25 with enterprise and cloud service provider (CSP) demand surging—driven by AI infrastructure expansion and server upgrades. The market condition is projected to continue in 2026, sustaining NAND flash prices at a high level.
2025-2026 DDR4 Price Trend & Sufficiency Ratio
DRAM Sufficiency: Supply has come under significant pressure from Q3’25 through 2026 1H, as manufacturers phase out DDR4 production and reallocate capacity toward high-demand applications from the CSPs. This shift has led to a pronounced tightening in overall DRAM availability.
Price Trend: DDR4 price has risen sharply across both spot and contract markets, driven by CSP-led demand absorbing supply and growing HBM allocation crowding out commodity DRAM capacity.
洞察觀點
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醫療設備如何選擇工業級 SSD？
醫療設備正在快速數位化。從實務上來看，醫學影像、病患監測、內視鏡系統、自動調劑櫃，到醫療邊緣閘道器，越來越多設備負責執行檢查或治療流程也同時需要即時記錄影像、感測數據、操作紀錄、警報事件與系統狀態。 對醫療設備製造商來說，儲存裝置已經從容量規格的一部分，升級為影響資料完整性、設備穩定性與產品生命週期的重要元件。
什麼是 NVMe SSD？
了解 NVMe SSD 的定義、NVMe 與 SATA SSD 的差異，以及為何 NVMe 儲存裝置適合自動化、工業系統和高頻資料記錄
什麼是 ECC DRAM？
了解 ECC DRAM 的定義、除錯運作原理，以及它對資料完整性、系統穩定性、網路安全與關鍵任務運算的重要性。
如何選擇 NVR Storage？打造高效監控系統的關鍵
解析NVR Storage選購重點，深入比較HDD和SSD、Surveillance SSD與AI NVR儲存需求，打造穩定高效的監控系統
什麼是 SSD 溫度範圍
溫度是每顆 SSD 的隱形限制器，而 SSD 溫度範圍既是效能規格也是可靠性規格。在持續負載下，NVMe 韌體會追蹤複合溫度，並會開始輕度或重度節流。因此，寫入吞吐量大幅下降，延遲飆升。高溫也會加速 NAND 內部的電荷洩漏，這會加速資料保留損失。隨著單元因編程/抹除磨損而老化，這種效應會惡化。因此，當硬碟稍後保持未通電狀態時，您會更快消耗耐用度並提高資料保留問題的風險。
工業級 SSD 的垃圾回收：你需要知道的事
SSD 中的垃圾回收是控制器的靜態清理工作。它將仍然有效的頁面壓縮到新空間，並抹除現在大多是垃圾的區塊。這聽起來很奇怪，直到您記起 NAND 快閃記憶體無法覆寫已編程的頁面。它必須先抹除，而抹除是在區塊層級進行，而非每個頁面。因此，更新變成「先寫到別處，之後再清理」。
