On the other hand, TrendForce confirms an analysis already published last January, namely that the increase in demand for HBM memory, popular in the field of AI in particular, does not help to lower the prices of our strips. of DDR. Indeed, if several manufacturers have made no secret of their desire to renew with significant margins, this is not even the core problem. To meet the demand for HBM, which is more profitable, they are forced to reduce DDR production lines.
The problem, as TrendForce explains, is that the concern is not just about DDR, and in reality all DRAM-based products are experiencing a price increase: video memory, GDDR, is not spared. For the third quarter of 2024, TrendForce anticipates an increase of between 3 and 13% depending on the type of product: 3 to 8% for video memory, but 8 to 13% for DDR5 for servers.
TrendForce is not very optimistic for the fourth quarter of the year, while an increase in demand for HBM is still expected with the immediate effect of further reducing the share of DDR for example. Finally, things seem very uncertain for 2025. TrendForce seems to anticipate a continued increase in demand and potential shortages, but the international context remains undecided.
