In the global memory market, Samsung Electronics kept the No. 1 spot in DRAM and NAND flash. SK hynix maintained the lead in the high bandwidth memory (HBM) market with a majority share. Chinese companies increased their shares in DRAM and NAND, speeding up the chase.
According to memory market trackers and outlooks from research firm Counterpoint Research on the 25th, Samsung Electronics posted a 38% revenue share in the global DRAM market in the first quarter this year. SK hynix had 29%, and Micron had 22%. ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) had 8%, and Nanya had 2%.
Samsung Electronics raised its share from 36% in the fourth quarter last year to 38% in the first quarter this year. By contrast, SK hynix fell from 32% to 29% over the same period. The gap between the two widened from 4 percentage points in the fourth quarter last year to 9 percentage points in the first quarter this year.
SK hynix held the No. 1 spot in the DRAM market through the first half of last year. SK hynix posted 36% in the first quarter and 39% in the second quarter last year, ahead of Samsung Electronics. In the third quarter, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix were tied at 33% each, and from the fourth quarter Samsung Electronics moved to the front.
The DRAM market itself also expanded quickly. Counterpoint Research said the global DRAM market grew 80% quarter over quarter and 260% year over year in the first quarter this year. Expanded investment in artificial intelligence (AI) servers and rising demand for high-performance memory appear to have driven the growth.
In the HBM market, SK hynix continued its commanding No. 1 position. In the first quarter this year, SK hynix held a 58% revenue share in HBM. Samsung Electronics and Micron were each at 21%. However, SK hynix's HBM share fell from 69% in the first quarter last year to 58% in the first quarter this year. Over the same period, Samsung Electronics rose from 13% to 21%, and Micron from 18% to 21%. While SK hynix is keeping the lead, later entrants are narrowing the gap.
Counterpoint Research said most HBM revenue currently comes from HBM3E, and HBM4 shipments are expected to materialize in the second half this year. It also noted that Samsung Electronics could increase its share if it begins full-scale HBM4 supply to Nvidia.
Samsung Electronics also held the top spot in the NAND market. In the first quarter this year, Samsung Electronics had a 29% share of global NAND revenue. SK hynix had 18%, and Kioxia had 14%. Micron, SanDisk, and Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) each posted 13%.
Samsung Electronics' NAND share edged down from 31% in the first quarter last year to 29% in the first quarter this year but kept the lead. SK hynix rose from 16% to 18% over the same period. YMTC climbed from 8% to 13%, catching up to the level of Micron and SanDisk.
Buoyed by price increases, the NAND market grew 90% quarter over quarter in the first quarter this year. Counterpoint Research analyzed that memory shortages and price hikes influenced YMTC's share gains.
Chinese companies' growth also stands out. CXMT lifted its DRAM market share from 3% in the first quarter last year to 8% in the first quarter this year. YMTC likewise expanded its NAND share from 8% to 13% over the same period. While the two-strong structure of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix continues, the low-price and domestic-demand-driven expansion of Chinese memory firms is becoming a market variable.