January 23, 2026 /SemiMedia/ — Global memory revenue is set to surge in 2026 as artificial intelligence workloads continue to drive strong demand for DRAM and NAND Flash, according to market research firm TrendForce.

TrendForce said the rapid expansion of AI applications is changing the structure of the memory market, with data volumes rising sharply across cloud platforms and data centers. High-bandwidth, low-latency DRAM has become critical for large model training and inference, while NAND Flash remains essential for fast data access and storage efficiency.

With supply growth constrained, tighter capacity has pushed memory prices higher. TrendForce said cloud service providers are maintaining strong procurement levels despite already elevated prices, adding further pressure to the market.

TrendForce estimates global memory industry revenue will reach $551.6 billion in 2026, up 134% from the previous year, before rising to $842.7 billion in 2027, a further 53% increase.

DRAM is expected to account for the bulk of the growth. Prices in the first quarter could rise by more than 60%, with some products seeing near-doubling, lifting DRAM revenue to $404.3 billion in 2026, up 144% year on year.

NAND Flash prices are also forecast to climb by 55% to 60% quarter on quarter in the first quarter, with gains likely to continue through the rest of the year. That would push NAND revenue to $147.3 billion in 2026, a 112% increase, TrendForce said.

TrendForce added that demand from AI servers, high-performance computing and enterprise storage, combined with supplier-led contract pricing, is likely to keep memory prices firm through 2027.