Rising Demand and EOL Plans from Suppliers Drive Strong DDR4 Contract Price Hikes in 2Q25 for Server and PC Markets, Says TrendForce

TrendForce’s latest investigations find that DDR4 contract prices for servers and PCs are expected to rise more sharply in the second quarter of 2025 due to two key factors: major DRAM suppliers scaling back DDR4 production and buyers accelerating procurement ahead of U.S. tariff changes. As a result, server DDR4 contract prices are forecast to rise by 18–23% QoQ, while PC DDR4 prices are projected to increase by 13–18%—both surpassing earlier estimates.

TrendForce notes that DDR4 has been in the market for over a decade, and demand is increasingly shifting toward DDR5. Given the significantly higher profit margins for HBM, DDR5, and LPDDR5(X), suppliers have laid out EOL plans for DDR4, with final shipments expected by early 2026. Current EOL notifications largely target server and PC clients, while consumer DRAM (mainly DDR4) remains in production due to continued mainstream demand.

In the second quarter, CSPs maintained solid demand for general-purpose servers, with storage server demand even revised upward due to AI server deployments, fueling additional DDR4 orders. Strategic inventory buildup by CSPs in response to supplier EOL plans has led TrendForce to revise its 2Q25 server DDR4 contract price forecast upward from 5–10% to 18–23% QoQ.

In early April, the U.S. announced a new round of reciprocal tariffs with a 90-day grace period. This prompted PC OEMs to ramp up ODM production and accelerate shipments to U.S. retail channels ahead of the July 9 tariff exemption expiry, aiming to mitigate future cost uncertainties. Lower-priced PC DDR4 is being squeezed out with DDR4 supply tightening, widening the scope for price increases. As a result, TrendForce now expects PC DDR4 contract prices to rise by 13–18% QoQ—up from the earlier projection of 3–8%.

Looking ahead to 3Q25, supplier production strategies and tariff policies are the main uncertainties. If suppliers continue to tighten DDR4 production, speculative restocking could again push prices higher than expected. TrendForce will closely monitor changes in supplier output strategies and buyer inventory behavior in the coming quarters.

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