Counterpoint Research Survey
SK Hynix Takes Top Spot in DRAM Market Share for the First Time
36% DRAM Market Share... Samsung at 34%
Overwhelming 70% Lead in Flagship HBM Segment
SK Hynix has surpassed Samsung Electronics to take the number one spot in the global DRAM market, according to an analysis.
On the 9th, global market research firm Counterpoint Research reported that SK Hynix held a 36% share of the DRAM market in the first quarter of this year, followed by Samsung Electronics with 34% and Micron with 25%. SK Hynix notably secured an overwhelming lead with a 70% market share in high-bandwidth memory (HBM).
This is the first time SK Hynix has overtaken Samsung Electronics to achieve the top DRAM market share.
Last year in the first quarter, Samsung Electronics held 41% and SK Hynix 30%, showing a clear gap of over 10%, but by the fourth quarter, Samsung Electronics had 37% and SK Hynix 35%, narrowing the gap before SK Hynix reversed the lead in the first quarter of this year. This is attributed to the HBM boom and the sluggish demand for Samsung’s mainstay general-purpose (legacy) memory semiconductors, which faced a downturn due to demand contraction and a low-price supply offensive from China.
Choi Jung-gu, senior researcher at Counterpoint Research, said, "This achievement is the result of SK Hynix successfully responding to strong demand in the DRAM sector, especially for HBM," adding, "It is a significant milestone for the company."
As long as HBM demand continues, SK Hynix’s leading market share structure is expected to persist into the second quarter. It is especially expected to remain stable as the HBM market is unlikely to be significantly affected by U.S.-imposed tariff barriers. Hwang Min-sung, director at Counterpoint Research, analyzed, "In the short term, because AI demand is strong, the HBM market will be less affected by trade shocks," and added, "AI servers, the main application for HBM, are a 'borderless' product group, so they are less impacted by trade barriers."
The market expects prices for high-value-added DRAM, including HBM, to continue rising despite tariff concerns. However, Counterpoint Research forecasts that in the long term, the possibility of an economic downturn caused by U.S.-led trade shocks could pose risks to HBM market growth.
Leading the HBM market, SK Hynix is currently supplying its flagship HBM3E (5th generation) 12-stack products to major clients including Nvidia. The follow-up product, HBM4 (6th generation) 12-stack, has also been sampled ahead of the original schedule. SK Hynix plans to mass-produce these products in the second half of this year and accelerate the development of HBM4E to strengthen its HBM leadership.
Samsung Electronics is also accelerating efforts to regain competitiveness. Samsung has been attempting to join Nvidia’s supply chain, which leads the AI semiconductor ecosystem, but no concrete results have emerged for over a year. Jeon Young-hyun, Vice Chairman and CEO of the DS Division, recently stated at the shareholders’ meeting, "HBM is a representative component in the AI competition era, but we missed the early market by reading the market trends a bit late," adding, "We are carefully preparing according to plan to avoid such mistakes with next-generation HBM like HBM4."
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