DRAM revenue increased 369 percent with artificial intelligence

The explosion of memory demand by artificial intelligence investments has brought the DRAM market to historic growth. According to data from Counterpoint Research, global DRAM revenue increased by 369 percent in the third quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in the previous year. The average sales price per gigabit reached 1.9 dollars.

Behind the growth are new artificial intelligence accelerators and huge memory purchases for data centers. The biggest winner of the market was South Korea. While Samsung remained the leader with a 38 percent share, SK hynix took a 29 percent share.

Who got what share in the DRAM market?

SK hynix's revenue increased by more than 40 percent compared to the previous quarter, but the leadership remained with Samsung. US Micron ranked third with a 21 percent share. Chinese CXMT ranked fourth with a 9 percent share; Although the company grew compared to the same period last year, it lost one point of share compared to the second quarter.

Balances are changing in HBM

According to Counterpoint, SK hynix was clearly ahead in HBM3E sales. However, the industry is now switching to HBM4 and Samsung is ahead in this new generation. This situation may be challenging for SK hynix in the coming period. CXMT, on the other hand, is lagging behind in this race as it plans to start mass production of the HBM3E only next year.

HBM is still the most profitable type of DRAM; HBM revenues nearly doubled compared to the same quarter last year. On the other hand, DDR and LPDDR revenues, which are used as system memory in computers and phones, are growing faster.

AI agents increase demand for DDR and LPDDR

The proliferation of artificial intelligence agents has also increased the demand for DDR and LPDDR, which are used as system memory. DDR demand increased by 500 percent annually, and LPDDR demand increased by 400 percent. CXMT became the first company to mass produce the latest LPDDR6 memory; Versions of Xiaomi 18 Fold with 16 GB RAM use this memory.

Memory prices will remain high in 2027

The pace of price increases slowed down in the third quarter compared to the first half of the year. However, the news is not good for those who are considering renewing their computer or phone. "Memory prices will remain strong next year. HBM prices, which lagged behind standard DRAM this year, are now catching up. Long-term agreements are supporting prices, and supply will remain tight as major new factories won't start production until 2028," said Counterpoint Research Director MS Hwang.

This increase in memory costs is also reflected in smartphone and computer prices in recent months. You can also take a look at our news on the subject: The worst period of the memory crisis is not yet here.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the leader in the DRAM market?

According to Counterpoint, in the third quarter of 2026, Samsung is the leader with a 38 percent share; It is followed by SK hynix with 29 percent and Micron with 21 percent.

When will RAM prices drop?

Counterpoint predicts that memory prices will remain high into 2027 as major new factories will not start production before 2028.