Silicon Motion: AI Storage Demand Remains Strong, NAND Flash Shortage to Continue Until 2028
Silicon Motion General Manager Goucha Chang predicts that NAND Flash will remain in short supply until 2028 due to surging AI storage demand, with prices expected to continue rising in the second half of this year. He noted that AI inference investment is now surpassing training investment.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 9, 2026 at 19:11
- 🔍 Collected: May 9, 2026 at 19:31 (19 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 9, 2026 at 19:34 (2 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Chang Chien-Chung, Taipei, 9th) Silicon Motion General Manager Goucha Chang stated today that this year's artificial intelligence (AI) inference investment has surpassed training investment, which will drive continued growth in storage demand. He anticipates that NAND Flash may experience a shortage until 2028, and prices are expected to continue rising throughout the second half of this year.
Goucha Chang attended a charity carnival today and said in an interview that both the dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and NAND Flash markets are currently experiencing shortages. Memory manufacturers' investment in capacity expansion faces not only land scarcity but also requires time to build cleanrooms, and equipment delivery takes 1 to 1.5 years, estimating that investment to product production takes 2 years.
Goucha Chang stated that DRAM and NAND Flash might be in short supply until 2028, and it is difficult to predict when the tight supply-demand situation can ease. Under conditions of shortage, memory prices are expected to continue climbing in the second half of this year; however, the expected price increase should be smaller than in the first half.
He said that soaring memory prices might affect the balanced development of the industry. Some mobile phone and computer manufacturers can no longer accept high prices. He anticipates that Apple, due to its purchasing advantage, is likely to see a leap in market share.
According to Goucha Chang, North American cloud service providers (CSPs) will have a combined capital expenditure of US$725 billion this year, and this may further increase to US$900 billion next year. However, large investments by CSPs cannot last forever. When investment slows down, memory demand may sharply decrease, and suppliers should find outlets for their production capacity.
Observing the progress of Chinese memory manufacturers, Goucha Chang said that Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp. (YMTC) has overcome the problem of lacking high-stacking equipment, achieving good progress by mixing domestic and other machinery. It is worth tracking whether YMTC can become the global leader in NAND Flash by 2030.
Silicon Motion has long been deeply concerned about orphaned children and has promoted charity markets with the Chung Yi Foundation for over 12 years, connecting employees, their families, and partners to create a charity model of "participation is support." Today, a charity carnival was held at the Circular Plaza of Taipei Expo Park. (Editor: Yang Kai-Hsiang) 1150509
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(Central News Agency reporter Chang Chien-Chung, Taipei, 9th) Silicon Motion General Manager Goucha Chang stated today that this year's artificial intelligence (AI) inference investment has surpassed training investment, which will drive continued growth in storage demand. He anticipates that NAND Flash may experience a shortage until 2028, and prices are expected to continue rising throughout the second half of this year.
Goucha Chang attended a charity carnival today and said in an interview that both the dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and NAND Flash markets are currently experiencing shortages. Memory manufacturers' investment in capacity expansion faces not only land scarcity but also requires time to build cleanrooms, and equipment delivery takes 1 to 1.5 years, estimating that investment to product production takes 2 years.
Goucha Chang stated that DRAM and NAND Flash might be in short supply until 2028, and it is difficult to predict when the tight supply-demand situation can ease. Under conditions of shortage, memory prices are expected to continue climbing in the second half of this year; however, the expected price increase should be smaller than in the first half.
He said that soaring memory prices might affect the balanced development of the industry. Some mobile phone and computer manufacturers can no longer accept high prices. He anticipates that Apple, due to its purchasing advantage, is likely to see a leap in market share.
According to Goucha Chang, North American cloud service providers (CSPs) will have a combined capital expenditure of US$725 billion this year, and this may further increase to US$900 billion next year. However, large investments by CSPs cannot last forever. When investment slows down, memory demand may sharply decrease, and suppliers should find outlets for their production capacity.
Observing the progress of Chinese memory manufacturers, Goucha Chang said that Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp. (YMTC) has overcome the problem of lacking high-stacking equipment, achieving good progress by mixing domestic and other machinery. It is worth tracking whether YMTC can become the global leader in NAND Flash by 2030.
Silicon Motion has long been deeply concerned about orphaned children and has promoted charity markets with the Chung Yi Foundation for over 12 years, connecting employees, their families, and partners to create a charity model of "participation is support." Today, a charity carnival was held at the Circular Plaza of Taipei Expo Park. (Editor: Yang Kai-Hsiang) 1150509
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to get the latest news instantly
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, broadcast, transmitted, or used without authorization.