Samsung Electronics Achieves 42% DRAM Market Share in Q4 Last Year, Ranking 1st Worldwide; SK Hynix Ranks 2nd

Source: TrendForce website

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix were identified as ranking first and second in the memory semiconductor DRAM market in the fourth quarter of last year with a combined market share exceeding 70%.

According to market research firm TrendForce on the 5th, global DRAM sales in the fourth quarter of last year were recorded at $17.65 billion (approximately 19.9021 trillion KRW), an increase of 1.1% compared to the same period the previous year.

Samsung Electronics maintained its position as the world’s number one with sales of $7.44 billion (approximately 8.3908 trillion KRW), capturing a market share of 42.1%. This represents a 3.1% increase from the previous quarter and a 0.8 percentage point rise in market share. SK Hynix ranked second with sales of $5.2 billion (approximately 5.8645 trillion KRW) and a market share of 29.5%. Compared to the previous quarter, sales increased by 5.6% and market share rose by 1.3 percentage points. Domestic companies including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix accounted for 71.6% of the total market share.

Micron, a U.S. memory semiconductor company, ranked third with a 23% market share, Taiwan’s Nanya was fourth with 2.9%, and other companies held less than 1% market share. TrendForce analyzed the future outlook of the DRAM market, stating, "Server DRAM customers who completed inventory adjustments have resumed stockpiling, and due to factors such as Micron’s power outage incident, DRAM prices have entered an upward trend."

However, considering that the price increase is currently in its early stages and the seasonal off-peak period, DRAM sales in the first quarter of this year are expected to show only a slight increase compared to the fourth quarter of last year.

Earlier, TrendForce reported that Samsung Electronics ranked first globally in NAND flash products, another pillar of memory semiconductors, with a 32.9% market share in the fourth quarter of last year. SK Hynix held the fourth position globally with an 11.6% market share, but when combined with the market share of Intel’s NAND business division (11.5%), which it is set to acquire, it becomes the world’s second largest after Samsung Electronics.