Samsung's Q2 share gain and SK hynix's lead
Samsung Electronics Co. expanded its footprint in the global high bandwidth memory (HBM) chip market in the second quarter, while SK hynix Inc. retained the No. 1 position by revenue but saw its share slip, according to industry tracker Counterpoint Research data released Thursday. SK hynix held 50 percent of the market in the April-June period, down 8 percentage points from 58 percent in the first quarter.
Counterpoint read on HBM3E and HBM4 trajectory
Samsung Electronics' share climbed sharply to 33 percent in the second quarter from 21 percent in the prior quarter, narrowing the gap with SK hynix. Micron Technology Inc., the No. 3 player, slipped slightly to 18 percent from 21 percent. Counterpoint Research said most HBM revenue currently comes from HBM3E, the fifth-generation product, and forecast that sixth-generation HBM4 shipments are expected to become more visible in the second half of the year, with Samsung's market share projected to rise further as it ramps up HBM4 shipments.
Why the shift matters for AI memory supply
HBM is a core component for artificial intelligence applications, with demand rising rapidly as the memory chip significantly boosts data-processing speeds at data centers. The narrowing of Samsung's revenue gap signals intensifying competition among the three principal suppliers serving AI accelerators and data-center customers, with product generation transitions from HBM3E to HBM4 positioned to reshape rankings in subsequent quarters.
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