DRAM market share in Q2 this year. Photo courtesy of Counterpoint Research
Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) overtook SK hynix (000660.KS) to claim the top spot in the D-Ram memory market by revenue share in the second quarter of this year. Analysts say Samsung, which held a higher proportion of commodity D-Ram, benefited relatively more as commodity D-Ram prices rose more steeply than those of high-bandwidth memory (HBM).
According to market research firm Counterpoint Research on the 4th, Samsung Electronics’ D-Ram market share in the second quarter of this year came to 39% by revenue. That was up 6 percentage points from 33% in the same period last year, lifting the company to the industry’s top position. SK hynix, which ranked first with a 39% share in the second quarter of last year, fell to 26% this year and dropped to second place.
Counterpoint Research analyzed that the larger price increase for commodity D-Ram than for HBM in the second-quarter D-Ram market worked in Samsung Electronics’ favor. Samsung Electronics reaped the benefit of expanded revenue by raising the proportion of commodity D-Ram sales.
By contrast, HBM’s average selling price fell below last year’s level, affected by a price decline in the older HBM3E product and a delay in the launch of the new HBM4 product. As a result, the share of SK hynix, which had a higher proportion of HBM products than its competitors, was affected. As of the first quarter of this year, SK hynix recorded a 58% share in the HBM market, far ahead of Samsung Electronics and Micron (21% each).
SK hynix defended its lead in the HBM market by signing long-term agreements (LTAs) with big tech companies ahead of its competitors. Because an LTA fixes the supply price at a certain level at the time of signing, the earlier the contract is concluded, the more limited the additional benefit from rising D-Ram prices. However, it offers the advantage of securing stable long-term demand and prices.
Micron is also analyzed to have benefited from the surge in commodity D-Ram prices, as its HBM proportion was low. Micron’s second-quarter share came to 25%, up 3 percentage points from the same period last year. Its gap with SK hynix narrowed to 1 percentage point. China’s CXMT, which focuses on selling older D-Ram, also expanded its share from 4% to 7% over the same period.
Counterpoint Research forecast that HBM prices would show a recovery trend in the second half of this year, spurred by the launch of HBM4. In particular, it projected that the price increase would continue next year to a level surpassing commodity D-Ram. Accordingly, both Samsung Electronics and SK hynix plan to expand the proportion of HBM4 production from the second half to improve profitability.
At a recent conference call announcing its second-quarter results this year, Samsung Electronics said, “We plan to expand HBM4 revenue in the third quarter by more than three times compared with the second quarter,” adding, “In a situation where supply constraints are expected next year as well, we will operate supply in a direction that maintains a similar proportion of HBM4 and commodity D-Ram.”
SK hynix, the No. 1 in the HBM market, also explained, “The mass-production yield and quality of HBM4 are already showing levels close to those of HBM3E, which has entered a mature stage, and we are steadily expanding capacity,” adding, “As HBM4 volume increases in earnest in the second half and shipments of commodity D-Ram based on the sixth-generation 10-nanometer-class (1c) process expand, the bit (capacity) shipment growth rate will exceed that of the first half.”