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TrendForce’s latest findings on the memory industry reveal that sharp rises in traditional DRAM contract prices have led to a 59.5% QoQ increase in total DRAM industry revenue, reaching nearly US$154.73 billion in 2Q26.
Growing demand for AI servers, fueled by expanding LLM training and AI inference, has driven higher shipments of HBM3e, LPDDR5X, and high-capacity RDIMMS. The surge in agentic AI applications is further boosting RDIMM demand across various capacities.
On the supply side, suppliers’ inventories remain at historic lows, with additional supply mainly allocated for server use. Consequently, DRAM bit shipments grew only modestly in the second quarter.
Looking ahead, modest growth in bit shipments is expected to be one of the key factors affecting third-quarter revenue. Conventional DRAM contract price growth, however, is projected to moderate to 13–18% QoQ. This reflects a shift in some demand from high-capacity RDIMMs toward lower-capacity products, as well as the limited ability of PC and smartphone customers to absorb further price increases. Consumer DRAM is expected to post the strongest price growth, as suppliers have significantly curtailed supply.
TrendForce notes that Samsung posted the strongest QoQ bit shipment growth among the three major suppliers in 2Q26, supported by its early move into HBM4 mass production and shipments. Combined with a substantial increase in ASP, this lifted Samsung’s quarterly revenue to $60.98 billion, up 63.4% QoQ. The company ranked first with a market share of 39.4%.
SK hynix ranked second. Since HBM accounted for the highest proportion of its total bit shipments among the top three suppliers, growth in ASP was relatively limited. Its 2Q26 revenue increased 37.9% QoQ to $38.59 billion, while market share edged down to 24.9%.
Micron continued to prioritize higher-priced server DRAM in its product mix amid capacity constraints. Revenue rose 65.5% QoQ to $36.0 billion in 2Q26, lifting its market share slightly to 23.3%. TrendForce notes that from 2026 to 2027, the three major suppliers will primarily increase bit supply by accelerating migrations to advanced processes.
Meanwhile, wafer starts are expected to see only modest increases through production process optimization, cleanroom acquisitions, and the reallocation of cleanroom space from other product lines.
By comparison, suppliers such as Nanya, Winbond, and PSMC remain focused on mature-process products, with their 2Q26 growth continuing to benefit from demand that the three major suppliers can no longer fully serve as they migrate to more advanced processes. Significant increases in DDR4 and DDR3 contract prices drove Nanya’s revenue up 68.3% QoQ to $2.612 billion. Winbond’s revenue increased 75.8% QoQ to $998 million.
PSMC’s reported DRAM revenue, primarily derived from consumer DRAM products, surged 167.8% QoQ to $115 million in 2Q26. Including foundry revenue, its total revenue increased 54% QoQ. Looking ahead, the company is expected to begin its next phase of supply expansion after obtaining a process technology license from Micron.
