Weekly recap week 43, 2026: storage news and price per TB

What mattered in week 43?

The 5 stories of week 43 were about supply and production of memory chips: 1 market report on DRAM, the building block of memory modules, 2 reports on new generations of NAND flash, the memory inside SSDs, 1 strike at Micron and 1 halted IPO. All 5 appeared on ratioDB between October 22 and 24.

• PC memory gets scarcer in 2027: According to PC Games Hardware, TrendForce's new DRAM market report expects shrinking supply of memory for PCs in 2027. The report sees larger new capacity only from 2029. At Samsung, more than 70% of PC RAM output is said to be booked under long-term contracts. Some system integrators report 15% higher prices at the start of the 4th quarter.
• Micron skips generation G10: At a technology webinar for investors on October 21, Micron presented its G11 NAND generation. According to Blocks & Files and ComputerBase, it will have more than 400 cell layers, up from 276 on the current G9. Micron promises twice the bit density and an up to 50% faster interface. Volume production is set to begin in the 2nd half of 2027.
• Samsung and SK hynix upgrade fabs in China: Samsung plans to switch its Xi'an fab to 286-layer flash by the end of the year, Tom's Hardware reports, citing Reuters. The fab makes around 40% of Samsung's NAND output. SK hynix plans chips with 240 or more layers at its Dalian fab, up from 192.
• Strike at Micron in Taiwan: The union at the Taoyuan site had announced a one-day strike for October 22, Tom's Hardware reported, citing Reuters. It wants concrete terms for the 2026 bonus and a clear formula for sharing future profits. Tom's Hardware expected only a minor drop in output.
• No IPO for Solidigm: SK hynix said on October 23 that it has stopped reviewing an IPO (initial public offering of shares) of its SSD subsidiary Solidigm. Blocks & Files and Tom's Hardware cite market conditions and falling semiconductor share prices as the reasons. SK hynix still plans a new Solidigm fab in the US; according to Tom's Hardware, it has not disclosed its size, cost or schedule.

How did prices per TB move in week 43?

Prices per TB and per GB on amazon.com rose in all 6 tracked product types in the 7 days to October 26, from 0.3% for DDR5 memory to 2.1% for 2.5" SATA SSDs (as of Oct 26, 2026, 05:17 UTC, source: amazon.com). Over 30 days, external 3.5" hard drives stand out at 8.3% cheaper per TB.

The TB index is the median of the 10 cheapest new listings in a product type, converted to the price per TB or GB. Used and refurbished listings are not counted. How ratioDB calculates is explained in the methodology.

TB index by product type, as of Oct 26, 2026, 05:17 UTC, source: amazon.com:

The stories of the week name no cause for these moves.

What do the news of week 43 mean for buyers?

For memory buyers, the stories of week 43 point to continued tight supply: according to PC Games Hardware, TrendForce sees less PC RAM in 2027 and larger new capacity only from 2029. Whether the new NAND generations will make SSDs cheaper, the sources leave open.

According to PC Games Hardware, the shortage hits consumer memory hardest, because large PC makers have secured part of the output with long-term contracts. Brands of RAM modules buy their chips on the open market. The guide why are RAM prices so high explains the background, current listings are under DDR5 desktop.

SSDs get new NAND generations only with a delay. Micron says G11 goes into volume production in the 2nd half of 2027, and there is no schedule yet for Solidigm's US fab. The guide SSD prices shows how SSD prices have moved, and best SSD picks drives by price per TB.

Hard drives played no role in the stories of the week. Prices per TB are under hard drives, background in the guide hard drive prices.