Apple has reportedly reached an agreement with South Korea's Samsung Electronics on memory semiconductor price increases set to take effect from the first quarter of 2027.
Taiwan-based IT trade publication DigiTimes reported on the 16th that Apple has accepted Samsung Electronics' proposed 2027 memory pricing.
That represents increases of roughly 33% and 27%, respectively, compared with Q3 2026 pricing of $1.50 per GB (approximately 2,100 won) for LPDDR5X and $0.26 per GB (approximately 360 won) for NAND flash.
X (formerly Twitter) user @SemiconductorsX claimed on the 15th that Apple had received a quote from Samsung Electronics for 2027 memory at $2 per GB but had rejected it.
Outlets including AppleInsider and MacRumors have cited the report, assessing that memory supply chain conditions could deteriorate further in the months ahead.
Apple has reportedly reached an agreement with South Korea's Samsung Electronics on memory semiconductor price increases set to take effect from the first quarter of 2027. As AI data center investment deepens memory supply-demand imbalances, analysts say the deal significantly raises the probability of further price hikes across Apple products, including the iPhone.
Taiwan-based IT trade publication DigiTimes reported on the 16th that Apple has accepted Samsung Electronics' proposed 2027 memory pricing. Under the terms, Apple will receive LPDDR5X RAM at approximately $2 per gigabyte (roughly 2,800 won) and NAND flash at approximately $0.33 per GB (roughly 460 won) starting in Q1 2027. That represents increases of roughly 33% and 27%, respectively, compared with Q3 2026 pricing of $1.50 per GB (approximately 2,100 won) for LPDDR5X and $0.26 per GB (approximately 360 won) for NAND flash.
X (formerly Twitter) user @SemiconductorsX claimed on the 15th that Apple had received a quote from Samsung Electronics for 2027 memory at $2 per GB but had rejected it. However, the DigiTimes report published a day later told the opposite story, stating that Apple ultimately accepted those terms.
Outlets including AppleInsider and MacRumors have cited the report, assessing that memory supply chain conditions could deteriorate further in the months ahead.
The surge in memory prices is driven by intense competition among AI companies to build large-scale data centers. As demand for data center memory explodes, DRAM and NAND flash prices are facing broad upward pressure. According to a report cited by DigiTimes, memory demand is expected to grow 36.2%, while supply is projected to increase by only 19.3%.
The supply-demand gap is expected to widen further. The supply shortfall relative to demand is projected to expand from -8.1% in 2026 to -13.6% in 2027, with the imbalance likely to persist at least through the first half of 2028.
