YMTC Source Warns Memory Shortage Will Run Three More Years as TrendForce Flags Q4 RAM Price Hikes

The YMTC remark came through a report from The Wire China, cited by Citrini Research analyst Jukan in a post on X that was highlighted by TweakTown. The employee said the company expects the global memory shortage to last at least another three years. According to the same source, YMTC has already raised prices for its chips and is shifting production toward products with higher profit margins.

Jukan tied the comment specifically to NAND production used in SSDs, while the quoted remark referred more broadly to the memory crisis, which also covers RAM. TweakTown noted that the potential impact on SSDs matters because YMTC is now the third-biggest global NAND chip supplier, behind only Samsung and SK Hynix. Other forecasts, including from TrendForce, have NAND supply coming back into balance later in 2027, a view the YMTC leak calls into question.

In a separate report, TrendForce described DRAM supply as "very tight" and said suppliers' early-stage discussions on fourth-quarter 2026 contract pricing point to meaningful price increases, suggesting strengthening demand momentum, particularly from US cloud service providers. Those large cloud providers are the main force behind the demand pushing fourth-quarter RAM pricing to significant hikes.

Memory prices have already climbed steeply. In the German market, DDR5 memory is 544% above its level before the RAM crisis began, according to the report, so further increases would land on top of an existing rise. SSD prices are also expected to climb if the YMTC leak proves accurate.

The YMTC information is a leak rather than an official company statement, and the company is heading into an IPO, which gives it an interest in talking up its future prospects and profits. The claim was relayed by Citrini Research's Jukan and highlighted by TweakTown.

The view that the crisis will run at least another three years, taking it to 2030, is shared by other analysts and industry figures, including Nvidia's chief executive and people in the SSD sector, according to the report.

Editor's Summary

A source at YMTC is said to expect the global memory shortage to last at least three more years, and TrendForce says fourth-quarter 2026 DRAM contract talks point to meaningful price increases driven by US cloud providers. Memory prices have already risen sharply, with DDR5 up 544% in Germany from pre-crisis levels, and SSD costs may also climb. The YMTC claim is a leak from a company preparing an IPO, while other analysts and Nvidia's chief executive have also pointed to a crisis lasting to 2030.