Global DRAM Market Hits 5,042 HHI as South Korean Firms Dominate Supply
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · Jul 6
Global DRAM Market Hits 5,042 HHI as South Korean Firms Dominate Supply
1 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Jul 6
Summary
A combined Samsung-SK Hynix view lifts global DRAM concentration to a 5,042 HHI, above the 5,000 level associated with a near-duopoly and far past the DOJ’s 1,800 “highly concentrated” threshold.
Counterpoint’s first-quarter 2026 shares put Samsung at 38%, SK Hynix 29%, Micron 22%, CXMT 8%, Nanya 2% and others 1%, producing a still-elevated 2,838 HHI even before combining the two Korean groups.
A $590 billion chip investment plan announced this week by Samsung, SK and the Korean government underpins the argument that the two chaebols operate less as independent rivals than as parts of a national industrial strategy.
That concentration is already feeding pricing power: Micron recently posted a 15-fold earnings jump, Apple raised some device prices over chip costs, and US limits on Chinese DRAM can tighten the market further.