TrendForce sees SLC NAND contract prices rising up to 170% in 2H 2026

EE Times Asia reports that mature NAND capacity is being redirected toward higher-value products such as high-layer-count 3D NAND, creating a shortage in MLC NAND and pushing some industrial, automotive, and networking buyers toward SLC NAND. TrendForce now expects SLC NAND contract prices in the second half of 2026 to be 120% to 170% higher than in the first half, with the possibility of further increases. The pressure is structural because many buyers in automotive and industrial markets cannot easily change qualified memory specifications. Edge AI equipment, networking gear, data centers, smart home systems, medical imaging, aerospace, and defense are also described as demand sources for SLC NAND's reliability and endurance. For RamTrend, this is one of the clearest near-term NAND pricing signals in the current queue.