SK Hynix Maintains Top DRAM Market Share for Third Consecutive Quarter... Micron Shows Strong Growth in Third Place

TrendForce: "SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics See Sales Growth, Market Share Decline"

SK Hynix, which has secured a leading position in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market, has ranked first in the global DRAM market for three consecutive quarters this year. Samsung Electronics came in second. However, due to intensified competition, the market shares of both SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics have declined, while the third-place US company Micron has rapidly closed the gap by expanding its own market share.

According to market research firm TrendForce on the 26th, global DRAM market sales in the third quarter reached 41.4 billion dollars, up 30.9% from the previous quarter. TrendForce attributed the sales growth to a sharp increase in DRAM prices, higher shipment volumes, and expanded HBM production.

SK Hynix, holding the top spot, posted third-quarter sales of 13.75 billion dollars, a 12.4% increase from the previous quarter. However, its market share fell by 5.5 percentage points to 33.2%. Samsung Electronics also saw its sales rise by 30.4% from the previous quarter to 13.5 billion dollars, but its market share edged down by 0.1 percentage point to 32.6%.

Micron, in third place, recorded sales of 10.65 billion dollars, up 53.2% from the previous quarter, and its market share rose by 3.7 percentage points to 25.7%.

According to market research firm TrendForce on the 26th, SK Hynix recorded the highest DRAM sales and market share in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, DRAM prices are expected to continue rising in the fourth quarter. TrendForce forecasts that general-purpose DRAM prices will increase by 45-50% compared to the previous quarter, while overall DRAM prices, including HBM, are expected to rise by 50-55%.

It was also reported that DRAM suppliers' inventories have been nearly depleted. TrendForce stated, "Cloud service providers (CSPs) are continuing to aggressively secure supply, and other buyers are left with no choice but to raise prices to secure inventory," adding, "Contract prices are expected to rise rapidly across advanced, general-purpose products, and all application fields."