Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are both riding a historic memory upcycle, but a profit gap of about KRW15 trillion (approx. US$10 billion) has opened between the two Korean chipmakers, driven largely by commodity DRAM rather than high-bandwidth memory (HBM), according to Sedaily.
One year into his tenure, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan struck a markedly different tone on the company's outlook. At the first-quarter 2026 earnings call, he said the debate a year ago centred on whether Intel could survive. Today, the focus has shifted to how quickly it can expand capacity and scale its supply chain to meet surging demand.
Spot memory prices surged in early 2026, triggering stockpiling and speculative buying across distribution channels, before reversing from a March peak. DDR4 DRAM spot prices have since corrected by more than 20% quarter-over-quarter, yet lower prices have failed to revive demand. With holidays approaching, buyers remain on the sidelines, while contract memory prices continue to climb.
