Global DRAM shipments saw their sharpest increase in nearly two years during the second quarter of 2025, solidifying SK hynix's lead over Samsung Electronics. The surge was driven by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, with high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, emerging as the key growth engine for the sector.
Hybrid bonding machines are set to become critical by 2027, when chipmakers move into mass production of 20-layer, sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4). Global equipment suppliers are racing to bring their systems to market ahead of that transition.
In the first half of 2025, SK Hynix recorded the highest operating profit and the largest corporate tax payment among South Korean companies. The surge in demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), fueled by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) applications, significantly contributed to the semiconductor manufacturer's financial performance, according to The Chosun Ilbo.
Driven by strong AI demand, memory contract prices for NAND and DRAM rose sharply by an estimated 15-20% in the fourth quarter of 2025, breaking traditional year-end price decline patterns. Supply shortages led to aggressive procurement from cloud service providers, with high-stack 3D NAND products nearly sold out.
Puya Semiconductor (Shanghai) announced on September 15, 2025, that it will acquire a controlling stake in Zhuhai Noah Changtian Storage Technology through a cash deal, giving it indirect ownership of SkyHigh Memory (SHM). The planned acquisition expands Puya's non-volatile memory portfolio by adding 2D NAND and derivative products to its established NOR flash, EEPROM, and MCU businesses, creating a more complete product lineup.
The United Kingdom demonstrated a prominent presence at SEMICON Taiwan 2025 last week, reinforcing its position as a key player in innovative technology. The UK Department for Business and Trade and Innovate UK, the national innovation agency, led a delegation of over 30 emerging companies across semiconductor manufacturing, design, testing, and materials sectors to the event.
South Korea's information and communications technology (ICT) exports in August 2025 reached a record high for the period compared to previous years. Due to rising memory semiconductor prices and increased investment in artificial intelligence server infrastructure, semiconductor export values also reached an all-time high.
The increasing demand for big data storage driven by artificial intelligence data centers is expected to intensify a supply shortage of QLC NAND Flash memory, potentially resulting in a significant deficit by 2026. Major US cloud service providers are planning to replace traditional hard disk drives with enterprise-grade solid-state drives on a large scale starting in 2026, which will drive explosive growth in demand for high-capacity QLC SSDs. This transition is anticipated to narrow the price gap between SSDs and HDDs to roughly three times.
Nvidia is preparing a potential shake-up in the AI semiconductor memory market with the introduction of its next-generation AI processor, Rubin CPX, which is designed for large-context processing workloads and expected to debut in late 2026. Unlike its flagship AI accelerators that rely on HBM, Rubin CPX will feature 128GB of GDDR7, a move that industry observers say could rebalance demand between the two leading memory types, according to SemiAnalysis, Wide Daily, and ET News.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan announced on September 12, 2025, that it will provide Micron Technology with subsidies amounting to as much as JPY536 billion (US$3.63 billion) for the development and mass production of next-generation DRAM at its Higashihiroshima factory. The assistance is intended to promote advanced research and expand production capacity.
China's DRAM maker CXMT is reportedly developing compute express link (CXL) DRAM modules, a move that could escalate rivalry with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix as the CXL market takes off in 2026. According to South Korea's EBN, CXMT has outlined its CXL roadmap to Korean semiconductor component suppliers and begun early design work, with one major substrate partner confirming initial joint R&D on CXL substrates.
Nvidia has reportedly abandoned its initial SOCAMM1 low-power DRAM module for AI workloads, shifting focus to SOCAMM2 with faster speeds and broader supplier collaboration, including Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix. This move signals a strategic push to address technical challenges and advance AI memory solutions ahead of mass production in 2026.
Memory manufacturers are swiftly following SanDisk's announcement of a 10% price increase for NAND products, signaling a broader industry move toward higher pricing amid expected supply shortages starting in 2026. Micron has paused NAND Flash and DRAM pricing quotes for a week, while market sources anticipate potential NAND Flash price rises of up to 30%.
SK Hynix, a key supplier of HBM to Nvidia and other global clients, is reportedly scaling back its aggressive investment plans in thermo-compression bonders (TCB), equipment crucial for HBM production. Industry watchers say this shift could reshape the competitive landscape for suppliers such as Hanmi Semiconductor, even as the broader market for bonding equipment is set for strong growth in the coming years.
Micron Technology is reportedly deepening its ties with the Trump administration to secure a stronger foothold in the global semiconductor market. According to South Korean media, this move could intensify competitive pressure on non-US rivals such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
The global memory industry saw simultaneous growth in volume and pricing during the third quarter of 2025, with DRAM and NAND memory prices rising amid ongoing supply constraints. Market participants anticipate that the DDR4 supply-demand imbalance will persist for another two to three quarters, leading to price increases for both DDR4 and DDR5 into early 2026. Chinese manufacturers have also raised NOR Flash prices, while Taiwanese suppliers are preparing price hikes starting in the fourth quarter to offset rising costs.
Nvidia has reportedly requested Samsung Electronics Co. to significantly expand its procurement of GDDR7 graphics memory, a move expected to enhance Samsung's memory business revenue. South Korean sources indicate that while Samsung currently trails in supplying fifth-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM3E), its exclusive GDDR7 supply and mass production capabilities could help secure its position in Nvidia's upcoming sixth-generation HBM (HBM4).
By September 2025, half-year earnings reports from 10 Chinese memory firms are in. Nine posted revenue growth, underscoring solid top-line momentum. Profitability, however, diverged sharply: companies could generate sales but struggled to convert them into lasting profits.
The rising demand for AI servers and high-end GPUs has fueled growth in large-size 2.5D interposers, and Hanmi Semiconductor is moving quickly to capture this opportunity. At SEMICON Taiwan 2025, the South Korean company debuted its "2.5D big-die TC/FC bonder," designed for AI chips and capable of packaging interposers up to 120mm x 120mm—over six times larger than conventional semiconductor sizes.
Hanwha Semitech has announced a new strategic roadmap to strengthen its position in the advanced semiconductor packaging equipment market, unveiling next-generation systems set to debut in early 2026.
Winbond Electronics has implemented significant price increases for its DDR4 DRAM products beginning in the third quarter of 2025, with contract prices for the fourth quarter finalized after cumulative hikes of 80% to 90% since the second quarter price bottom. The company anticipates its DDR4 operations will reach yearly peak performance in the fourth quarter of 2025, driven largely by strong demand for the DDR4 4Gb product variant.
Phison Electronics posted consolidated revenue of NT$5.934 billion (approx. US$195.7 million) for August 2025, marking a 4.3% increase from July and a 23% rise year-over-year, reaching a historical high for the month. The cumulative revenue from January to August 2025 hit NT$43.35 billion, also setting a new record.
China's state-backed DRAM maker CXMT is rapidly advancing in high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a market long controlled by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Citing SemiAnalysis, South Korean outlet Business Post reported that CXMT may start mass production of HBM3E as early as 2026, far ahead of expectations, underscoring how quickly the company is closing the gap with its South Korean competitors.
Recent reports indicate that Samsung Electronics is restarting construction on parts of its P4 and P5 fabs to accelerate advanced DRAM mass production. SK Hynix is also reportedly expanding DRAM production capacity in South Korea, with plans to complete its Cheongju plant by the fourth quarter of 2025.
AP Memory has announced that its new generation PSRAM, known as ApSRAM (Attached-pSRAM), has completed customer platform validation and is slated for mass production by the end of 2025. The company highlighted the product's suitability for edge computing and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
