AI memory demand fuels SK Hynix’s DRAM market victory

The demand for artificial intelligence has led to SK Hynix mode to the highest center in the global DRAM market, where the Samsung leader has long been overcome for the first time.

According to Counterpoint research data, SK Hynix acquired 36 % of the DRAM market in the first quarter of 2025, compared to Samsung’s share by 34 %.

HBM Chips Drive Shift

The completion of the company ends the three -decade dominance of Samsung in the manufacture of DRAM and comes shortly after the SK Hynix operating profit in Samsung in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The strategic focus of the company has proven on the high -frequency domain chips (HBM), which are the basic components of artificial intelligence applications, they are the decisive factor in the transformation of the market.

“The SK Hynix brand, which succeeds in providing DRAM successfully to a market that still shows unrestricted demand for HBM memory, said.

“The manufacture of specialized HBM DRAM chips was very difficult and that early I got profits.”

SK Hynix obtained the total initiative of the DRAM market and has proven its hegemony in the HBM sector, as it occupied 70 % of the high -value market sector, according to CounterPoint research.

HBM chips, which accumulates many drama that have died to significantly increase data processing capabilities, have become essential components to train artificial intelligence models.

“It is another invitation to wake up to Samsung,” said Ms. Huang, Research Director at Counterpoint Research in Seoul. Bloomberg. Huang noted that SK Hynix driving in HBM chips is likely to consist of a larger part of the company’s operating income.

Financial performance and industry expectations

The company is expected to report positive financial results on Thursday, as analysts offered a quarterly increase by 38 % in sales and an increase of 129 % in the operating profit for March quarter Bloomberg Data.

The shift in market leadership reflects wider changes in the semiconductor industry, as artificial intelligence applications pay the demand for specialized memory solutions.

Although traditional DRAM is still necessary for computing devices, HBM chips that can handle the tremendous data requirements for obstetric artificial intelligence systems have become of increased value.

Trendforce research company expects that SK Hynix will maintain its leadership position throughout 2025, as it has reached more than 50 % of the HBM market in Gigabit shipments.

Samsung’s share is expected to decrease to less than 30 %, while Micron technology is said to gain the land to take nearly 20 % of the market.

Counterpoint Research expects that the DRAM market in Q2 2025 will maintain similar patterns through the sector’s growth and sellers’ share, indicating that the new SK Hynix leadership position may be sustainable in the short term.

Possible navigation in the opposite winds of memory memory

Although the current demand for memory, industry analysts define many challenges on the horizon. “Now the world focuses on the impact of definitions, so the question is: What will happen with HBM DRAM?” Mrs. Huang said.

“At least in the short term, this sector is unlikely to be affected by any commercial shock because the demand for artificial intelligence must remain strong. And most importantly, the final product of HBM servers is artificial intelligence servers, which – by definition – can be without limits.”

However, long -term risks are still important. Anti -presence research sees potential threats to the growth of the HBM DRAM market “caused by structural challenges caused by commercial trauma that can lead to stagnation or even depression.”

Moor Stanley analysts, led by Sean Kim, expressed a similar feeling in a memorandum of the investors he mentioned Bloomberg: “The effect of the real customs tariff on the memory is similar to the iceberg, with most of the invisible danger under the surface and is still approaching.”

Analysts have warned that profit reports may be overwhelmed by the largest macroeconomic powers. Interestingly, despite the current SK Hynix feature, Morgan Stanley still prefers Samsung as the best choice in the memory sector.

Analysts wrote: “It can stand out in front of the macro’s slowdown, and it is priced in complications of the pelvis, and it has the option of future growth via HBM, and buy shares every day,” the analysts wrote.

Samsung is scheduled to provide its full financial statement with net income and division on April 30, after reporting the initial operating profits of 6.6 trillion Won ($ 6 billion) on revenues of 79 trillion Won earlier this month.

The shift in the identification of competitiveness between the memory giants in South Korea emphasizes how to reshape the components of artificial intelligence specialized in the semiconductor industry.

Invest the early and aggressive SK Hynix investment in HBM technology, although large Samsung resources guarantee compete.

For the wider technology ecosystems, the change in DRAM market driving indicates the increasing importance of the components of the prosecution devices.

As databases around the world continue to expand to support advanced artificial intelligence models, the demand for artificial intelligence memory should remain strong despite the potential total economic opposite winds.

(Credit Image: Sk Hynix)

See also: Samsung aims to strengthen AI on the device with LPDDR5X DRAM

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