Q3 DRAM Sales Increase by 18%... SK Hynix Solely Raises Market Share

Q3 DRAM Market Size $13.48 Billion
SK Hynix Market Share 34.3%... Up 4.2%p
"Q4 DRAM Prices Expected to Rise 13-18%"

As the semiconductor industry shows signs of gradual recovery, third-quarter DRAM market sales increased by 18% compared to the previous quarter. SK Hynix alone raised its market share through the effect of high-value-added DRAMs such as High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and Double Data Rate (DDR)5.

Market research firm TrendForce announced on the 4th that global DRAM market sales in the third quarter reached $13.48 billion, an 18% increase from the previous quarter. The sharp increase in market sales was attributed to "buyers actively procuring as demand gradually recovered."

As the DRAM market size expanded, the third-quarter sales of major suppliers also increased. Samsung Electronics recorded $5.25 billion, up 15.9% from the previous quarter, while SK Hynix posted $4.626 billion, a 34.4% increase. U.S.-based Micron recorded sales of $3.075 billion, up 4.2%.

Among them, SK Hynix's third-quarter sales growth rate stood out, and its market share also rose alone. SK Hynix's third-quarter DRAM market share increased by 4.2 percentage points from the previous quarter to 34.3%. Although it ranked third behind Micron in the first quarter, it has rapidly increased its market share since the second quarter, solidifying its position as the second-largest player in the market.

TrendForce explained, "SK Hynix benefited from increased shipments of HBM and DDR5," adding, "Production capacity (capability) and wafer input are expected to increase slightly until the end of the year." It also noted, "As the proportion of DDR5 in the DRAM market increases, production volume is expected to steadily grow next year as well."

In this process, the gap in market share between Samsung Electronics, the No. 1 in the DRAM market, and SK Hynix is gradually narrowing. Samsung Electronics' third-quarter market share was 38.9%, with a difference of 4.6 percentage points between the two companies. This gap has narrowed compared to the 9.5 percentage points difference in the second quarter.

TrendForce forecasted that the DRAM market recovery trend will continue into the fourth quarter. With suppliers firmly committed to price increases, fixed DRAM transaction prices could rise by approximately 13-18% compared to the third quarter. However, since inventory levels in the market remain substantial, it is expected to be difficult for the market to recover as much as in past peak seasons.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.