Samsung Maintains DRAM Lead as Micron Closes In on SK hynix

Counterpoint Research Releases Q2 Market Share Report
Samsung at 38%, SK hynix at 25%, Micron at 24%

Samsung Electronics has maintained its position as the leader in the global DRAM market, while US-based Micron, buoyed by record-breaking results, is closing in on second-place SK hynix.

According to the Global Memory Tracker from market research firm Counterpoint Research on October 2, Samsung Electronics secured a 38% share of the global DRAM market by revenue in the second quarter of this year. This marks the third consecutive quarter that Samsung Electronics has held the top spot, maintaining the same share as the previous quarter.

SK hynix remained in second place with a 25% share; however, the gap between SK hynix and third-place Micron (24%) has narrowed to just 1 percentage point. Compared to the previous quarter’s figures (Samsung Electronics 38%, SK hynix 29%, Micron 22%), SK hynix's share dropped by 4 percentage points, while Micron's increased by 2 percentage points.

Counterpoint Research analyzed that Micron dramatically closed the gap with SK hynix by recording a fivefold surge in DRAM revenue in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. The report noted, "With Micron posting both explosive revenue growth and improved profitability this quarter, the race for the No. 2 position in the DRAM market will be a central focus next quarter." In its recently announced results for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026 (June to August), Micron reported a quarterly record-high revenue of USD 54.23 billion (approximately KRW 73.6 trillion). Its gross margin also rose by 2.2 percentage points to 86.8% from the previous quarter's 84.6%.

Meanwhile, China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) held on to the No. 4 spot by claiming a 10% market share in the second quarter, a 2 percentage point increase from the previous quarter (8%) and more than double its share from the same period last year (4%).

The industry-wide shortage of memory supply is expected to continue for the time being. During the earnings call, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra forecast, "The supply and demand balance for memory and storage will be much tighter in 2027–2028 compared to 2026," adding, "Over 75% of our 2027 production volume has already been secured through sales contracts."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.