Samsung Electronics held a 39% market share, while SK Hynix’s share fell to 26% and Micron’s rose to 25%
SK Hynix’s plant in Icheon. (courtesy SK Hynix)
Samsung Electronics extended its reign as the world’s largest DRAM supplier in the second quarter, while SK Hynix barely clung to second place as US-based Micron Technology closed to within 1 percentage point of its market share, underscoring mounting pressure on South Korean chipmakers from overseas rivals. According to a report by Counterpoint released Tuesday, Samsung took the top spot in the global DRAM market for the third consecutive quarter, with its share widening by 1 point to 39% in the second quarter of 2026. SK Hynix, however, saw its market share fall to 26% in the second quarter from 29% in the previous three months. During the same period, Micron’s share climbed from 22% to 25%, leaving the US chipmaker just 1 percentage point behind its Korean rival.
(courtesy Counterpoint)
The narrowing gap was largely attributed to declining prices for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, SK Hynix's flagship product. Lower HBM prices weighed on the company's DRAM revenue growth, while Micron significantly expanded its DRAM sales.China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) ranked fourth with a 7% market share, down 1 percentage point from the previous quarter. Despite the slight decline in market share, Counterpoint said the company posted 716% year-on-year revenue growth in the second quarter, making it the “fastest growing DRAM supplier globally, driven by strong domestic demand for conventional DRAM and expanding capacity.”Counterpoint projected that the decline in HBM prices will ease in the third quarter as Nvidia’s latest product hits the market, with prices expected to rebound next year as conventional DRAM prices go up. By Park Jong-o, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
