With demand for artificial intelligence (AI) data center infrastructure expanding, global DRAM sales, including high bandwidth memory (HBM), hit a record high. Samsung Electronics maintained the No. 1 position in the global DRAM market and widened its lead over SK hynix.
According to market research firm Counterpoint Research on the 27th, global DRAM sales in the first quarter of 2026 totaled $97 billion (about 145.7 trillion won), up 80% from the previous quarter. Compared with the same period a year earlier, the figure jumped 260%.
The DRAM market is growing rapidly as investment in AI data centers expands. In addition to rising demand for server HBM, increased installations of low-power DRAM (LPDDR5) in AI data center infrastructure also drove sales growth. Memory prices hitting an all-time high during the quarter also contributed to higher revenue.
Samsung Electronics captured 38% share in the global DRAM market in the first quarter, taking the top spot. No. 2 SK hynix had a 29% share. The two companies waged fierce competition for the top spot in DRAM sales last year, but Samsung Electronics regained the lead in the fourth quarter and kept No. 1 in the first quarter this year.
Micron ranked third with a 22% share. Micron is expanding capacity to meet additional demand and secure market share. The growth of China's Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) was also notable. CXMT's share of the global DRAM market in the first quarter was 8%, more than doubling from 3% a year earlier. Sales increased by more than 700% year over year.
Counterpoint Research analyzed that expanding AI-related DRAM demand in China, from smartphones to servers, supported CXMT's growth. CXMT is also preparing to raise large-scale funds through an initial public offering (IPO) to expand DRAM production capacity and enter the HBM market for AI data centers.
A Counterpoint Research official said, "In the first quarter, the DRAM market's growth was driven by unprecedented demand expansion, and memory prices also hit an all-time high during the quarter," adding, "HBM and increased LPDDR5 installations within AI data center infrastructure also acted as key growth drivers."