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.
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.
China's memory sector is showing clear signs of recovery, with leading players including Shenzhen Longsys Electronics and Montage Technology reporting strong first-quarter gains, underpinned by a structural demand shift driven by artificial intelligence.
South Korea's export surge is entering a new phase, with artificial intelligence-driven semiconductor demand powering record shipments even as geopolitical risks and cost pressures mount.
Global smartphone system-on-chip (SoC) shipments fell 8% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026, as a prolonged memory shortage weighed on handset makers and chipset vendors, according to Counterpoint Research.
Samsung Electronics executives said major memory customers are seeking longer-term supply commitments and pulling forward demand for 2027, underscoring how tight supply is reshaping negotiations across DRAM, HBM, and server storage.
A surge in demand for AI is fueling a powerful upswing in the memory market, propelling Adata to record-breaking results at the start of 2026.
Samsung is accelerating one of its most aggressive memory capacity buildouts in years, aiming to bring its Pyeongtaek Line 4 fab, or P4, into full operation by the end of 2026 as the AI server boom reshapes demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and advanced DRAM.
