Bank of America: DRAM Price Hikes Far Exceed Expectations, Google Capex Boosts Storage Demand

According to TechFlow Research, Bank of America's Global Memory Weekly Report on July 24 pointed out that PC DRAM contract prices in July rose 15%-20% month-over-month, with Q3 month-over-month increases reaching 30%-40%, far exceeding TrendForce's forecast of 13%-18%, and spot prices strengthened simultaneously. South Korea's semiconductor exports in the first 20 days of July totaled $22.1 billion, up 181% year-over-year; China's memory imports in June reached $32 billion, hitting a record high, up approximately 250% year-over-year, while the impact of CXMT's capacity expansion remains limited. Bank of America analysts expect Google's capital expenditures in 2026/2027 to reach $200 billion/$300 billion respectively, a significant increase from $91 billion in 2025, implying that memory chip procurement in 2027 needs to be more than 50% higher than in 2026. Google's annual cash and equivalents from 2026-2028 will exceed $50 billion, which is a positive signal for memory chip capacity expansion. Samsung Electronics is expected to announce large-scale buybacks, early dividend payments, and more optimistic second-half/2027 guidance at its July 30 earnings conference call; Bank of America maintains a buy rating on Samsung.