存储芯片价格失控！华尔街再调预期：2026年DRAM或暴涨88%，NAND涨74%

Core Viewpoint - Citi's latest outlook presents a more aggressive bullish stance compared to Nomura, predicting a significant price surge in storage chips driven by the proliferation of AI Agents and a surge in AI CPU memory demand, with DRAM average selling prices (ASP) expected to rise by 88% and NAND by 74% by 2026 [1][2]. Group 1: Price Projections - Citi forecasts a "severe supply shortage" in the commodity memory market by 2026, driven by structural data growth rather than temporary supply chain disruptions [2]. - The ASP for server DRAM is projected to skyrocket by 144% in 2026, significantly up from a previous estimate of 91%, with the price of mainstream 64GB DDR5 RDIMM expected to reach $620 in Q1 2026, a 38% increase from earlier predictions [3]. - In the NAND sector, Citi has raised its ASP growth forecast from 44% to 74%, with enterprise SSD ASP expected to increase by 87% [4]. Group 2: Company Impact - Based on these aggressive price forecasts, Citi has significantly revised its earnings outlook for Samsung Electronics, projecting an operating profit of 155 trillion KRW in 2026, a staggering 253% increase year-over-year, up from a previous estimate of 115 trillion KRW [5]. - Citi has raised Samsung's target price from 170,000 KRW to 200,000 KRW, reflecting the expected strong profitability due to rising DRAM and NAND prices [5]. Group 3: Market Dynamics - Nomura's report introduced the concept of a "triple super cycle" in the global storage market, predicting a 98% growth to $445 billion by 2026, although their price increase estimates are lower than Citi's [6][8]. - The divergence in price predictions stems from differing interpretations of demand, with Nomura focusing on the dual resonance of AI servers and general servers, while Citi emphasizes the explosive data generation from AI Agents [9]. - A critical supply constraint is the shortage of cleanroom availability, which limits the ability of manufacturers to expand production, thereby exacerbating the supply-demand mismatch and supporting Citi's bold price predictions [12].