According to Nikkei, a procurement team from Terafab, the chip venture between Tesla and SpaceX, visited Japan and walked local equipment makers through what it plans to buy. The targets it reportedly shared are gigantic: 1 million wafers per month from 2032 onward, with around 700,000 of those going to memory chips and 300,000 to logic. Nikkei's headline puts that at 40 times the output of Japan's Rapidus. The same split first surfaced in a Jiji Press report last month, which said a single Texas plant would handle both memory and logic, with a pilot fab completed as early as July 2027. Intel is reportedly helping with logic using its 2 nm and 1.4 nm-class technology, while a Taiwanese company has been floated as a technology partner for memory. That could be Nanya, though nothing is confirmed.

For context, Samsung's entire DRAM output was estimated at 650,000 to 700,000 wafers a month late last year, while SK hynix was at about 550,000 earlier this year and hopes to reach roughly 1 million by 2030 or 2031. It isn't clear whether Terafab's memory figure covers DRAM alone or also includes NAND, so the Samsung comparison is a loose one. Musk has also been careful with his own dates. On an October SpaceX call, he put "big error bars" on reaching volume production by Q3 2028, with a first SRAM test chip planned for mid-2027 at Terafab's Austin research lab.

The DapuStor J5101, an enterprise NVMe M.2 boot drive, built with the PCIe Gen 4 interface and a compact M.2 form factor, delivers fast, reliable server boot with low power consumption and flexible capacity options. These capabilities improve operational efficiency and lower total cost of ownership (TCO) in virtualization, AI, HPC, and cloud environments.

As AI infrastructure and data centers scale, server configurations are becoming denser and more complex, with higher costs per node. M.2 boot drives have become a critical component in server reliability and cluster operating costs, with evolving requirements in three key areas:

AMD has confirmed that the current versions of Radeon drivers, Adrenalin 26.10.1 and Adrenalin 26.10.2, are experiencing an issue that causes excessive SSD writing. This problem results in the SSD writing dozens of gigabytes of data unnecessarily. The culprit appears to be AMD's External Events Client Module, which runs under the name atieclxx.exe on Windows systems. This module is causing some users' system drives to be constantly busy with writes. Reports indicate that the write rate ranges from 0.3 MB/s to 1.5 MB/s, with one Reddit user reporting sustained activity at 5 MB/s. The process is part of AMD's External Events Utility, which manages tasks such as detecting monitors and responding to Radeon software hotkeys. Unfortunately, it has entered an infinite loop of data writing.

While this may seem like a small amount, it's important to remember that systems can run for extended periods, and the writing can accumulate over time, potentially leading to SSD wear and tear. SSD lifespan largely depends on its ability to endure constant random writes, and forcing random writes onto an SSD will undoubtedly shorten its lifecycle. This is particularly concerning given the high cost of NAND Flash, as users are operating expensive SSDs that could undergo unnecessary wear. In response, AMD plans to release an update to its Adrenalin drivers with version 26.11.1, which will address this issue.

Late last month, we learned that SK hynix-owned NAND Flash maker Solidigm has been considering expanding its manufacturing business to the United States. According to Bloomberg, the company is contemplating a massive $45 billion investment. However, before deciding on that, Solidigm aims to get approval from the U.S. government to send equipment to its fabs in Dalian, China, so it can continue funding expansion in the United States. As a reminder, obtaining some chipmaking equipment in China requires U.S. government approval, meaning the company is putting things on hold pending regulatory approval.

Currently, Solidigm operates Fab 1 in Dalian, China, and has accelerated the construction of Fab 2 nearby. This expansion aims to increase production by 50% by 2027 to meet the rising demand for NAND Flash. Solidigm owns and operates this facility, marking a resumption of expansion in mainland China after a four-year project freeze. At present, Solidigm produces about 100,000 wafers per month of NAND Flash, so a 50% increase by 2027 would boost production to approximately 150,000 wafers per month.

SK hynix reported its latest Q3 2026 quarterly results with a record $78.129 billion in net revenue. However, the company also shared a market outlook, highlighting its long-term supply agreements and plans for expansion with new fab capacity and facilities under construction. For the consumer market, the outlook is grim as SK hynix expects memory demand to continue outpacing supply through 2030. The main supply constraint is the complexity of leading-edge semiconductor nodes and the lengthy lead times for fab construction, which take years to translate into regular mass production volumes.

Despite sustained demand, pricing is also on an upward trajectory, with the average selling price of memory modules in Q3 increasing by over 20% compared to Q2. This is concerning, as it suggests that the prices of consumer electronics devices might jump by more than 20% once memory inventory is depleted. Although SK hynix expects a decrease in PC and smartphone shipments, this will be offset by a strong rollout of AI data centers. About 14 major customers, including most hyperscalers, have signed 5-year long-term agreements, which will account for over 50% of total capacity sold for 2027 and 2028.

Micron is actively working on bringing its next-generation G11 NAND Flash technology to production, as the company has announced that G11 will be its first 3D NAND Flash. With the current G9 technology shipping across Micron's product portfolio, the company has created NAND Flash storage modules using over 200 layers of scaling. However, as the current technology reaches its limitations, the next phase involves exploring vertical stacking. With G11, Micron aims to use wafer-on-wafer 3D NAND stacking to double the capacity of NAND modules. Micron is now officially following in the footsteps of Chinese NAND giant YMTC, which has been making 3D stacked NAND for some time using Xtacking technology.

This is achieved by splitting each wafer into separate components. One is designed as a memory cell wafer, while the other contains peripheral logic circuits. These are combined using hybrid bonding technology in wafer-to-wafer stacking. Hybrid bonding creates a permanent bond between two silicon chips using embedded metal bumps that fuse together to form a single chip. Multiple dies or entire silicon wafers can be connected by stacking the back ends of two chips together. In this way, Micron plans to ship 400-layer NAND in the second half of 2027, which is less than a year away, and we are about to see more commercialization of 3D silicon.

YMTC, known as a NAND Flash manufacturer, is reportedly preparing to start mass production of LPDDR5X memory. While it has been known for some time that YMTC plans to enter DRAM production alongside its main NAND Flash business, it was not widely known that the company had already begun low-scale manufacturing. According to Counterpoint Research, YMTC has been producing about 5,000 wafers per month of 16 Gb LPDDR5X DRAM running at 7,500 MT/s at its Fab 2 since October 2025. The company is now preparing to begin volume production of LPDDR5X memory with speeds of 9,600 MT/s at its Fab 3, using Vertical Channel Transistor (VCT) 4F² cell structure technology.

YMTC has a significant advantage with 3D silicon, which represents the next phase of memory evolution. With its Xtacking 4.0 technology, YMTC can separate memory cell wafers from peripheral logic circuits and combine them using hybrid bonding wafer-to-wafer stacking. Hybrid bonding creates a permanent bond between two silicon chips using embedded metal bumps that are fused together to form a single chip. Multiple dies or entire silicon wafers can be connected by stacking the back ends of two chips together.

The memory crunch looks like it is hitting the PlayStation 6 harder than expected. Hardware leaker KeplerL2 claims on NeoGAF that the RAM and NAND flash storage in Sony's next console alone cost over $680. He posted it as a reply to a forum member who floated $680 as a possible subsidized retail price, which pretty much puts that idea to rest. Keep in mind that figure covers only memory and storage, before the APU, cooling, power supply, and the rest of the hardware are counted. This is not the first time Kepler has updated his estimate. Back in March, he put the console's bill of materials at around $760, and by July, that had climbed to roughly $960.

Current leaks suggest the PS6 uses GDDR7 memory on a 160-bit bus with support for up to 40 GB, with 30 GB considered the more likely configuration. There have also been reports that Sony looked into cutting memory capacity to keep costs down, and the culprit is the same as everywhere else: AI data centers are soaking up DRAM and NAND supply, which pushes prices up for everyone. Sony has said nothing official about PS6 pricing, so it's reasonable to treat all of this with some caution. That said, if memory prices stay where they are, a PS6 that costs significantly more than the PS5 Pro seems likely, and a $1,000 price tag now looks quite possible.

TrendForce's latest notebook industry research reveals that the primary risk facing the market in 2027 is expected to shift from supply constraints to the impact of rising costs on demand. Global notebook shipments are currently projected to decline by a low-single-digit percentage in 2027. However, if DRAM and CPU prices remain elevated, brands may be forced to pass more of these costs on to consumers. These higher retail prices could further extend replacement cycles, potentially pushing the full-year shipment decline into the high-single-digit range.

In 2026, improved CPU availability, early procurement by brands, and the pull-forward of some replacement demand helped support notebook shipments. However, this does not indicate a meaningful recovery in end-market demand. With some purchases originally expected in the second half of 2026 and beyond already brought forward, replacement momentum in subsequent periods is likely to weaken. Furthermore, as lower-cost inventories are gradually depleted, brands will face more direct pressure from rising CPU, DRAM, and SSD prices.

Chinese NAND flash maker YMTC apparently expects the global memory shortage to last another three years. The claim comes from a profile of the company published by The Wire China, in which a YMTC employee, speaking anonymously, shared the outlook. The same employee said YMTC has raised prices for its chips and shifted capacity toward higher-margin products. The excerpt was shared on X by @jukan05, who read it as a NAND forecast, although the employee's wording covers memory in general. Three more years would put the end of the shortage somewhere around late 2029. This is one unnamed employee's words, of course, and not public guidance from YMTC.

That 2029 prediction is well past TrendForce's estimate, which has NAND flash supply loosening in the second half of 2027 as new capacity comes online. It sits closer to Micron's view, with CEO Sanjay Mehrotra saying last week that supply will be much tighter in 2027 and 2028. The shift in capacity matters too, especially for regular PC builders. Counterpoint Research ranked YMTC fourth in NAND bit shipments in Q2 with a 14% share, yet only fifth in revenue, since its product mix leans toward consumer applications. Moving capacity to higher-margin chips could leave less for consumer SSDs, even as YMTC works to double its wafer output with new fabs. Nevertheless, readers planning a storage upgrade shouldn't count on prices dropping anytime soon.

Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra says memory and storage supply will likely be much tighter in 2027 and 2028 than it was in 2026. He made the remarks during Micron's fiscal Q4 2026 earnings call on September 30, where the company reported record quarterly revenue of $54.2 billion. Here's what he said:

Industry demand has strengthened since our last earnings call, and we expect memory and storage supply-demand conditions to be much tighter in fiscal 2027 and 2028 than they were in 2026. AI is becoming super intelligent, and memory enhances this intelligence and the competitiveness of our customers' platforms. Even with additional industry DRAM clean room space plans with robust demand trends, including new upside requests from customers, we do not have line of sight to when supply and demand will return to balance.

TrendForce's latest memory industry research reveals that DRAM suppliers continue to prioritize advanced-process capacity for high-performance server products in 4Q26, keeping the overall market undersupplied. However, the pace of contract price increases is expected to moderate, with conventional DRAM prices projected to rise 10-15% QoQ.

Meanwhile, the NAND Flash market is seeing a divergence between accelerating AI demand and weak consumer demand, although prices are still rising across segments. Overall NAND Flash contract prices are projected to increase 15-20% QoQ.

U.S. CSPs have recently upgraded their enterprise SSD demand forecasts over the past two weeks, according to TrendForce's research. This shift is mainly driven by major CSPs speeding up deployments and expanding enterprise SSD use across more applications. Notably, this demand increase isn't confined to high-performance TLC products; QLC products, known for their superior cost efficiency and capacity, have become a significant growth catalyst.

Recent procurement momentum suggests that total enterprise SSD orders in the fourth quarter could surpass the already elevated levels seen in 3Q26, maintaining a strong upward trajectory. This has given NAND Flash suppliers greater control over capacity allocation and pricing in the enterprise segment, while further supporting continued increases in enterprise SSD prices.

Acer Chairman and CEO Jason Chen says PC prices could rise by another 5% to 20% in the fourth quarter of 2026, according to Taiwan's Economic Daily News. Chen reportedly said that DDR4 and DDR5 memory are no longer in short supply and that CPU supply is mostly fine, with only some low-end and mid-range chips still tight. Prices haven't followed this change, though. Memory and SSD costs are still high, so systems with more RAM or storage will probably see bigger increases. Chen expects the average selling price of PCs to peak around mid-2027, with a possible drop in the second half of that year.

Even if component costs fall earlier, it takes several months for cheaper parts to reach finished PCs. Chen also reportedly said suppliers keep pushing through price increases, some of which he considers hard to justify. He also pointed to expanding Chinese memory production, and by the sound of it, he doesn't think the shortage can run until 2030, as many in the industry have claimed. That capacity is still ramping up, though. Chinese giant CXMT is reportedly preparing to enter the NAND flash market with an R&D line, and YMTC is expanding with new fabs.

CXMT, China's largest DRAM maker, is reportedly getting ready to enter the NAND flash market. According to a Reuters report citing people familiar with the matter, the company plans to set up a NAND R&D production line at its new plant in Beijing. CXMT has also set up a research institute in the capital, and NAND development is apparently among its projects there. That would put it up against Samsung and other global players, and against domestic rival YMTC, which already ranks third in NAND shipments. One of the sources says CXMT has already discussed its plans with customers, including a newly established startup that wants to buy the chips for AI and supercomputer storage products.

We also don't know when the R&D line will start running, or whether CXMT intends to go past R&D and trial production into large-scale manufacturing. CXMT and YMTC are often called the "twin stars" of China's memory industry, and they have mostly stayed in separate lanes. That seems to be changing, since Reuters reported in April that YMTC had sent low-power DRAM samples to customers. Both still trail the bigger foreign rivals, but the shortage has given them some pricing power, and CXMT was reportedly charging more than Samsung for 64 GB DDR5 server modules in July. TrendForce expects NAND supply tightness to ease only in the second half of next year, and I doubt one R&D line would change that.

SP Industrial today announced the launch of its new eMMC 5.1 Series, expanding its embedded storage portfolio with compact, reliable solutions designed for space-constrained and power-conscious industrial systems. As industrial and embedded devices become increasingly compact and connected, system designers need storage solutions that deliver dependable performance while minimizing PCB space and power consumption. By integrating NAND Flash and a controller into a single package, eMMC provides a space-efficient storage architecture well suited for embedded systems requiring reliable, low-power operation and long-term storage.

Flexible Storage for Different Workloads
The new SP Industrial eMMC 5.1 Series includes the EMC3R0N and EMC5R0N, giving system designers flexibility to select storage based on capacity and workload requirements. The EMC3R0N is available in 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB capacities and uses TLC NAND with up to 3,000 program/erase (PE) cycles, making it well suited for general-purpose embedded storage. For applications with more intensive write requirements, the 16 GB EMC5R0N uses pSLC technology to provide up to 30,000 PE cycles, offering significantly enhanced endurance for frequent data-writing workloads.

According to anonymous sources close to Reuters, Intel and SK hynix are in talks to start DRAM production lines in the United States for the first time. This means that Intel might either collaborate with SK hynix to acquire memory IP technology in a joint venture or SK hynix could lease part of Intel's facility in Ohio. In the first scenario, a joint venture between Intel and SK hynix would significantly alleviate supply chain pressures, as hyperscalers, fabless chip designers, and others are in urgent need of more DRAM. Since these firms would likely consume all the DRAM produced in the coming years, both Intel and SK hynix would have a substantial financial interest in the joint venture.

On the other hand, if SK hynix decides to lease Intel's facilities in Ohio, the South Korean memory giant would pay premiums for leasing the facility while retaining all production for itself. Reuters couldn't determine which specific technology would be the focus of the facility, but the primary goal is to produce regular planar DRAM, HBM, and some storage solutions with NAND Flash. Intel declined to comment on the rumor but noted that the Ohio investments are continuing regardless. SK hynix stated that the company has not finalized its decision or any cooperation but did not explicitly rule out the possibility of future collaboration. Therefore, an official decision should be announced soon.

Global semiconductor revenue surpassed $425bn in 2Q26 reaching another all-time high as the market grew a record 31.4% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ), according to new research from Omdia. AI demand and strong memory prices continued to be the leading market dynamics, taking total semiconductor revenue for the first half of 2026 to $752 billion. The 31.4% QoQ increase surpassed the previous sequential growth record of 29.2% in 1Q26. Since Omdia began tracking the semiconductor market in 1Q02, only 10 out of 97 quarters have recorded sequential revenue growth above 10%. The last four quarters beginning in 3Q25, have all recorded double-digit sequential growth, with 3Q26 expected to follow the same trend.

Memory continues to be the primary driver of growth, while other semiconductor components are growing above seasonal patterns and contributing to the robust market.

At IFA 2026 in Berlin, we visited the ADATA booth to see what the company has in store. To many, the surprising factor is the introduction of the relatively new "TRUSTA" brand by ADATA, which focuses on enterprise and industrial product offerings, a departure from what traditional PC enthusiasts know about ADATA. First, we explored the TRUSTA brand to see what the company offers. This includes the T7P5 SSDs, which boast read speeds of 13.5 GB/s and write speeds of 10.3 GB/s, and come in capacities ranging from 1.6 TB to 7.68 TB. All of this is powered by 3D NAND Flash using eTLC architecture, with the SSD form factors including U.2, E1.S, and E3.S versions, all carrying the same PCIe Gen 5 x4 interface, just with different twists depending on server or workstation needs.

Lexar, a global leader in memory and storage solutions, today unveiled its latest storage innovations at IFA 2026, led by the new Lexar Muse the world's thinnest portable SSD. which brings high-speed external storage into a card-like form with premium minimalist aesthetics and intuitive magnetic connectivity to empower creators across mobile capture and on-the-go workflows. As Lexar mark s its 30th anniversary in 2026, the company is building on three decades of trusted memory expertise to enter its next chapter. Lexar's IFA showcase reflects this continued evolution—from the Muse Ultra-Slim Portable SSD created for mobile workflows to AI storage technologies and emerging B2B applications.

Lexar Redefines Portable Storage with the Muse, the World's Thinnest Portable SSD
Smartphones have become central to both professional and everyday content creation, yet conventional portable SSDs can add bulk and cable clutter to mobile setups. The new Lexar Muse Ultra-Slim Portable SSD takes a more considered approach, combining an ultra-slim, card-like body, a magnetic carry sleeve, and Lexar's proprietary PogoPin magnetic data connection. Paired with the supplied SnapLink Magnetic Cable, these elements create a cleaner, more intuitive storage experience. Named Muse to reflect its role in inspiring creativity, the drive provides a compact, streamlined storage setup for handheld filming, travel, on-the-go editing, and backup.

The latest NAND market share data from Counterpoint Research shows just how far prices have risen in 2026. The global NAND market grew 70% quarter-over-quarter in Q2, following 90% growth in Q1. This is driven almost entirely by rising prices rather than higher shipments. NAND contract prices climbed 55% QoQ in Q2 alone, which lines up with earlier TrendForce estimates pointing to a 70-75% jump over the same stretch. Samsung held onto the top spot with 28% revenue share, down slightly from 29% in Q1 and 32% a year earlier, while SK hynix sits second at 19% and Micron rounds out the top three at 15%, helped along by high selling prices.

The surge traces back to AI infrastructure eating up NAND supply that would otherwise go toward consumer SSDs. Enterprise and hyperscale buyers are stockpiling high-capacity flash for AI servers, and manufacturers have leaned into that shift since it carries far better margins than retail drives. That's left less capacity for client SSDs, and it's part of why consumer drive prices keep climbing even as shipment volumes stay flat. China's YMTC is one of the more interesting movers here, growing from a 9% share a year ago to 14% in Q2, likely picking up volume as the bigger three chase their most profitable enterprise orders instead. Most forecasts still put meaningful price stabilization sometime in 2027, since new NAND capacity takes years to bring online and AI demand shows no sign of slowing.

Micron is reportedly exploring the idea of developing high-endurance NAND Flash modules that would be positioned closer to the GPU, rather than being located far away in the storage pool behind multiple protocols. The company is said to be investigating ways to bring NAND Flash closer to handle workloads that don't require the latency and bandwidth of traditional HBM or regular DRAM modules. This architecture, currently referred to as "near-GPU NAND," would serve as a middle ground between density and durability. This concept would allow GPUs to access a pool of NAND Flash that has a lower density than conventional TLC or QLC NAND, but instead focuses on improving I/O speeds, bandwidth, and read times.

For instance, this would enable a GPU to access a potential storage pool with hundreds of gigabytes of storage directly on the GPU package or PCB, similar to what DRAM like HBM or GDDR7/LPDDR6 already does. This tier would sit between GPU memory and regular system storage, acting as a very fast buffer, which would be ideal for the inference of massive LLMs. At that point, LLMs wouldn't be memory-bound and could run on systems with fewer GPUs, but with more storage and memory tiers to compensate for the required inference size. Additionally, this NAND would be significantly cheaper than HBM or regular DRAM and would be sized according to system specifications. Images below are HBF slides from SK hynix and Sandisk.

Samsung presented its updated memory roadmap at SEMICON Taiwan 2026, with HBM5 and the upcoming zHBM architecture being the main focus points while setting ambitious goals and expectations. According to Samsung, HBM5 is targeting twice the performance and 20% higher performance per watt compared to HBM4E, alongside a 20% reduction in thermal resistance. As changes, the base die moves from the 4 nm process used in HBM4 and HBM4E to Samsung's in-house 2 nm node, and the stack options expand to 12, 16, and 20 layers. Mass production is expected around 2028. Recently, Samsung confirmed at the Hot Chips 2026 conference's Advance Program that the company is preparing to ship HBM4E memory with speeds of 16 Gbps per pin. Samsung is currently shipping HBM4 that works at 11.7 Gbps per pin.

zHBM uses a more radical approach, rather than placing memory beside the accelerator as conventional HBM does, zHBM stacks memory directly on top of the processor, shortening the data path and delivering higher bandwidth and efficiency. With zHBM, Samsung is targeting eight times the raw performance and three times the performance per watt of HBM4E, with thermal resistance reduced by 75-90%. At FMS 2026, Samsung unveiled the industry's first concept models of zHBM and is expected to launch this completely different architecture after 2029. Rethinking the HBM architecture appears to be the direction the industry is heading. NVIDIA recently announced its own NVHBM custom memory that moves the memory controller into the HBM base die rather than keeping it on the compute die.

NAND Flash suppliers are broadening their enterprise SSD product lines to boost profits and refine their offerings, according to TrendForce's recent memory industry report. Increased shipment volumes and higher contract prices are expected to propel the combined revenue of the top five enterprise SSD brands to double quarter-over-quarter, reaching $37.59 billion in 2Q26—a staggering 103.6% increase.

TrendForce expects enterprise SSD demand to remain elevated in 3Q26 thanks to the growing adoption of generative AI agent services, steady data center infrastructure deployments by CSPs, and large-scale shipments of NVIDIA GB-series AI server racks. These factors are expected to drive industry revenue even higher. However, rising output from Chinese suppliers and the emergence of China's domestic cloud market could reshape the competitive landscape going forward.

SK hynix expects the current memory shortage to persist through the end of 2030, with no clear signs of a slowdown yet, according to CEO Kwak Noh-Jung. Speaking after the company's groundbreaking ceremony for its new Indiana packaging facility, Kwak said any eventual slowdown would likely be the result of a gradual easing rather than the sharp price crashes memory markets have previously seen, per Reuters. SK hynix had previously flagged tight supply lasting through 2028 for commodity DRAM, so this latest comment pushes that prediction out further.

Kwak's reasoning is that memory products have moved away from being purely commodity parts. AI-driven demand has pushed customers toward customized DRAM and HBM configurations, which makes future demand easier for manufacturers to forecast and less prone to the abrupt oversupply swings that caused previous crashes.