Danny Weber
Apacer warns that independent memory module makers may receive far fewer DRAM chips as capacity shifts toward HBM and server products.
Major memory manufacturers could cut DRAM supplies to independent module makers by more than 70% in 2027 compared with 2026. The forecast came from Apacer chairman C.K. Chang after the Taiwanese company released its first-half financial results. He expects the shortage to last at least until the middle of next year.
This does not mean that global RAM output will collapse by 70%. The estimate concerns the amount of DRAM that Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron and other suppliers allocate to independent companies such as Apacer for DIMM production. These companies purchase NAND Flash separately for SSDs. A growing share of manufacturing capacity is being redirected to more profitable HBM and server DRAM for AI infrastructure. SK Hynix has also warned that 2027 could become the toughest year the memory industry has ever faced in terms of availability.
According to Chang, around 60% of DRAM production is already tied to server applications. Prices are rising particularly fast for DDR5 RDIMM server modules, while PC and smartphone makers must compete for a shrinking supply of conventional DDR4 and DDR5. For module makers, the main problem is no longer the chip price but whether they can secure the required volume at all.
Apacer is preparing for conditions to worsen by building inventories. Their value reached TWD 12.4 billion at the end of June, up from TWD 8.38 billion one quarter earlier, an increase of about 48%. The company is also raising long-term financing so it can move quickly whenever memory becomes available.
Chang expects contract prices for DRAM to rise by about 30% in the third quarter and NAND by more than 20%, after which the pace of price increases may slow. That would not mean the shortage is over: demand for server memory and enterprise SSDs continues to grow alongside investment in AI data centers.
© A. Krivonosov