Samsung & Kioxia Phase Out MLC NAND; Spot Prices Surge Over 300% Amid Supply Collapse

Date: May 13, 2026

The global memory industry is facing an unprecedented supply crunch in legacy MLC NAND Flash. Leading manufacturers including Samsung Electronics and Kioxia are steadily exiting the MLC NAND market, shifting capacity focus to high-margin AI memory products such as HBM and advanced 3D NAND.

Since late 2025, the continuous capacity withdrawal has pushed mainstream MLC NAND spot prices up more than 300%. Industrial, automotive, and medical device manufacturers — which rely heavily on MLC’s high endurance and long-term operational stability — are now rushing to secure stock allocations amid shrinking supply.

Samsung Exits 2D/MLC NAND After 24 Years of Production

Samsung officially launched the phase-out of its last 2D NAND production line in March 2026, with all final shipments scheduled for June 2026.

The involved fab previously produced 80,000–100,000 wafers per month, and will be refurbished to produce 1c DRAM for AI server applications.

This strategic move ends Samsung’s 24-year history in the 2D NAND sector, wiping out roughly 20% of global 2D NAND capacity in a short period.

Kioxia Releases Clear Timeline for Full MLC/2D NAND Exit by 2029

In an official customer notification dated March 2026, Kioxia confirmed a complete withdrawal from the 2D NAND market, covering MLC, SLC and TLC across 32nm, 24nm and 15nm process nodes.

Key Phase-Out Schedule:

• Last Order Entry Deadline: September 30, 2026
• Final Mass Shipments: End of 2028
• Complete Market Exit: 2029

The exit applies to all product formats: bare wafers, BGA/TSOP packages, eMMC and UFS components.

Micron & SK hynix Scale Back Legacy NAND Capacity

Micron has significantly cut MLC NAND output and downsized consumer SSD lines, reallocating wafer resources to AI data center memory solutions.

SK hynix also limits MLC production only to existing long-term customer commitments, with no further capacity expansion plans.

MLC NAND Price Skyrockets: 64Gb Model Surges Over 300% in 6 Months

Per TrendForce industry data, global MLC NAND capacity is set to drop 41.7% year-on-year in 2026. Samsung and Micron continue to withhold core MLC manufacturing technology licensing, leaving no new suppliers able to fill the supply gap quickly.

Typical Price Movement:

• 64Gb MLC NAND Spot Price: ~$6 (Late 2025) → $20–$28 (May 2026)
• Overall Increase: Over 300% within six months
• Selected high-demand SKUs have jumped nearly 10x since early 2025

Downstream panic buying and safety stock replenishment have further accelerated the price uptrend, while component lead times keep extending for industrial-grade MLC NAND.

Market Outlook: Supply Tightness to Last Through 2027–2028

Industry analysts and TrendForce forecast the MLC NAND shortage will worsen in H2 2026, with the legacy memory supply gap expanding to around 40%.

As Kioxia gradually winds down shipments and no viable mass-production alternatives emerge, MLC NAND prices are expected to remain at elevated levels throughout 2027–2028.

While Taiwanese suppliers such as Macronix have ramped up MLC output, their capacity cannot offset the massive capacity loss from Samsung and Kioxia. The ongoing MLC NAND crisis clearly reflects a major industry shift: AI-driven memory demand is permanently reshaping the supply chain and pricing structure of legacy semiconductor components.

**Source: TrendForce, Industry Disclosures**