39%! Samsung Regains Top Spot in Global DRAM Market in Q2, SK Hynix Plummets to 26%, CXMT Soars to 7%

Market research firm Counterpoint Research released its global DRAM market share rankings for the second quarter of this year, revealing that Samsung Electronics has regained the top position with a 39% market share—an increase of one percentage point from the previous quarter and the highest level since 2024. In contrast, SK Hynix's share plummeted from 39% a year ago to just 26%, while Micron Technology closely followed with 25%. Together, these three companies still dominate 90% of the market. China's CXMT (ChangXin Memory Technologies) maintained fourth place with a 7% share and achieved a remarkable 716% year-on-year revenue growth, becoming the fastest-growing DRAM supplier globally.

According to the report, Samsung's rebound was driven by rising prices in traditional DRAM and expanded market share in HBM (High Bandwidth Memory). The company is expected to continue benefiting from pricing momentum into Q3 2024.

Although SK Hynix achieved record revenue with a 214% year-on-year increase, its market share was squeezed by Samsung and Micron due to declining HBM product prices and early shipments under low-priced long-term agreements (LTAs).

CXMT's growth stems from strong domestic demand for traditional DRAM in China and increased production capacity. Neil Shah, Vice President at Counterpoint Research, stated, 'The question is not whether CXMT can enter the top three, but when.' The firm anticipates that if CXMT channels its funding into DDR5, LPDDR6, and HBM production capacity and gains traction with PC manufacturers and leading international customers, its market share could see significant upward revision within a year.

In Q2 2024, DRAM supply remained tight. Contract prices for traditional DRAM continued to rise quarter-on-quarter, while average prices for HBM declined year-on-year—this dynamic underlies Samsung's resurgence and SK Hynix's market share erosion.

With continued demand from AI servers and device upgrades, the market share battle among Samsung, SK Hynix, the three major U.S. players, and CXMT is expected to shift in the second half of 2024 from a 'pricing cycle' to a technological race centered on the realization of HBM3E/4 and DDR5 production capacity.