Language 
On February 14, 2026, according to Japanese semiconductor industry sources, driven by
artificial intelligence
storage demand explosion and
NAND flash
supply shortage
, Apple has officially agreed to Kioxia's price increase terms: starting from the first quarter of 2026 (January-March), Kioxia's NAND Flash procurement unit price will
double
100%, and subsequent quarterly prices will be dynamically adjusted based on market conditions, marking a major change in industry pricing rules.
1.
artificial intelligence
Computing power drives storage demand,
NAND flash
Price Increase Exceeds Expectations
The rapid adoption of AI technology has led to explosive growth in demand for large-capacity storage in data centers and
artificial intelligence
servers, becoming the core driver of this round of
NAND flash
price increases. Global storage capacity remains tight, with the supply-demand gap widening, pushing storage chip prices higher.
Market Research Firm
Trend Forces
Significantly raised forecast, increasing
2026 Q1
NAND flash
contract price increase from the previously estimated
quarter-on-quarter
33%-38%to
55%-60%, far exceeding market expectations, as the storage industry enters a high-cycle period of rising volume and prices.
II. Apple forced to compromise, supply chain pressure intensifies
As a core global consumer electronics manufacturer, Apple previously locked in
NAND flash
procurement costs through long-term contracts, but now under tight supply conditions, it has been forced to compromise, not only accepting doubled prices but also abandoning long-term fixed pricing in favor of quarterly dynamic adjustments.
Despite
iPhone17
series introduced
5 Home
DRAM
and
NAND
Suppliers are trying to strengthen supply chain resilience, but under the industry-wide wave of price hikes, it is still difficult to fully avoid cost pressures. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo pointed out that Apple may need to absorb some of the cost increases on its own to maintain product competitiveness, and its services business will serve as an important buffer against hardware cost fluctuations.
3. Storage manufacturers' performance diverges, SanDisk profits surge
672%
This round
NAND flash
Under the price hike wave, the performance of leading storage manufacturers has shown significant divergence. SanDisk announced
2026 its fiscal second quarter financial report, showing that
GAAP
net profit
surged year-over-year
672%fully benefiting from rising storage prices and demand explosion.
In contrast, Kioxia, due to signing a large number of low-price long-term contracts earlier, is
2025 年下半年以来的涨价周期中受益有限，业绩表现相对垫底。随着与苹果新合约落地，铠侠有望逐步兑现涨价红利，扭转盈利弱势，全球
NAND flash
厂商竞争格局或将改写。
四、行业趋势：存储涨价常态化，产业链格局重构
artificial intelligence
驱动的存储需求增长具备长期性、结构性特征，叠加原厂控产、产能向高端芯片倾斜，
NAND flash
供应紧张局面短期内难以缓解，价格上行趋势明确。
苹果接受涨价与季度调价机制，标志着存储行业
From a buyer's market to a seller's market
, pricing power returns to the original manufacturers. For terminal manufacturers, chip distributors, and spot traders, grasping storage price trends, stabilizing supply channels, and optimizing cost control have become the
2026 core operational focus of the year
AI drives surging storage demand, NAND Flash contract prices raised by 55%-60%, Kioxia raises prices, SanDisk's performance soars, the industry faces new changes! Richpower Technology (www.richpoewerhk.com) deeply rooted in the MEMORY field, provides customers with spot supply, market interpretation, one-stop solutions, and comprehensive services to help cope with market fluctuations.
