On May 27th, due to UBS's upward revision of its target price for Micron from $535 to $1,625 per share, Micron's stock price soared by 19% in a single day, and its market value exceeded $1 trillion for the first time. On the same day, the stock price of South Korean storage giant SK Hynix also rose by more than 11% during trading, and its total market value officially surpassed the $1 trillion mark. Just a few weeks earlier on May 6th, Samsung Electronics' market value had risen by 12% in the morning trading session, reaching approximately 1.5 trillion Korean won (about 1.03 trillion US dollars). This means that the "big three" in the global storage chip sector - Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology - have successively achieved the feat of breaking through the trillion-dollar market value in just a few weeks.

Several analysis institutions pointed out that the rapid popularization of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and the continuous improvement of the penetration rate of LPDDR5 products in the AI data center infrastructure field have become the core incremental driving forces for this market size expansion, providing solid support for the industry's rapid growth. Counterpoint Research's monthly storage price tracking data shows that the global DRAM market revenue in the first quarter of 2026 saw an explosive growth, climbing by 80% compared to the previous quarter, breaking the industry's historical revenue record.

Among them, Samsung captured 38% of the global DRAM market share, continuously widening the industry-leading gap with SK Hynix. Looking back at 2025, Samsung and SK Hynix were in a tight competition in the DRAM revenue rankings, with industry rankings constantly fluctuating, until the fourth quarter of 2025, Samsung successfully returned to the top position globally, and further consolidated its leading advantage in the first quarter of 2026.

Micron performed steadily in this market, maintaining a stable overall market share. Facing the continuously expanding market demand, Micron continued to expand its production capacity plan, aiming to seize market growth through increasing production scale, laying the foundation for further improving market share and strengthening industry competitiveness.

Domestic storage leader Changxin Storage achieved breakthrough growth and became a core dark horse in the global DRAM market. Relying on the continuously rising DRAM demand in domestic smartphones and servers, as well as the incremental benefits brought by the rapid development of the AI industry, combined with the favorable impact of industry chip price hikes, Changxin Storage's DRAM revenue in the first quarter of 2026 soared by over 700% year-on-year, achieving a leapfrog growth. Its global market share doubled to 8%, firmly establishing its position as the fourth-largest DRAM supplier in the industry.

Another analysis institution, CFM Flash Memory Market Analysis, pointed out that in the first quarter of 2026, the global DRAM market size was $94.325 billion, increasing by 81.5% compared to the previous quarter. Specifically:

 Samsung's DRAM sales revenue in the first quarter was $38.214 billion, climbing by 98.4% compared to the previous quarter, with a market share of 40.5%, further widening the gap with other suppliers and ranking first.

 SK Hynix's DRAM sales revenue in the first quarter was $27.925 billion, as its HBM supply accounted for a relatively large proportion, with total revenue climbing by 62.1% compared to the previous quarter, but lower than other suppliers, with a market share of 29.6%, ranking second.

 Micron's DRAM sales revenue in the first quarter (December 2025 - February 2026) was $18.768 billion, climbing by 73.6% compared to the previous quarter, with a market share of 19.9%, ranking third.

 Changxin Storage's DRAM sales revenue in the first quarter was $7.309 billion, climbing by 115.1% compared to the previous quarter, with a market share further increasing to 7.7%, ranking fourth.

At the level of production capacity and technology layout, all major manufacturers have initiated a new round of upgrading and expansion. Changxin Storage's IPO application on the STAR Market was approved by the listing committee meeting. The company plans to raise 29.5 billion yuan to continuously expand its DRAM production capacity. In the future, it will officially enter the high-end HBM market for AI data centers and enter the high-value-added sector. At the same time, in response to the rise and competition of emerging manufacturers such as Changxin Storage, international leading companies like Samsung and Micron have also accelerated their capacity expansion pace and increased investment in the research and development of next-generation storage technologies and layouts, consolidating their industry leadership barriers.

In terms of market trends and the overall industry outlook, Counterpoint Research predicts that in the second quarter of 2026, the prices of all types of storage chips, including HBM and standard DRAM, will continue to rise by 50% compared to the previous period. The industry is expected to maintain a high level of prosperity. Overall, in 2026, the global DRAM market will experience explosive growth, and the overall industry growth rate is expected to exceed 300%, with the industry's development potential continuously being released. 

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