Samsung Electronics has regained the top position in the global DRAM market in the fourth quarter of 2025. The company is expected to further solidify its position in the DRAM market with the launch of the world's first mass-produced 6th generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4).

According to market research firm Omdia on the 22nd, global DRAM market revenue in the fourth quarter of last year reached $52.47 billion (approximately 75.9 trillion KRW), a 12% increase compared to the previous quarter. Samsung Electronics' DRAM sales grew by 40.6% to $19.15 billion (approximately 27.7 trillion KRW), raising its market share by 2.9 percentage points to 36.6%, securing the top spot. In contrast, SK hynix saw its sales rise by 25.2% to $17.22 billion (approximately 24.9 trillion KRW), but its market share fell from 34.1% to 32.9%, placing it second.

Samsung's return to the number one spot in the DRAM market marks a one-year comeback, as it lost the title to SK hynix in the first quarter of 2023. This marked the first shift in DRAM market leadership in 33 years since 1992. However, in the fourth quarter of 2024, Samsung regained its dominance by expanding its production capacity (CAPA) and significantly increasing sales of mainstream DRAM products, boosted by HBM3E (5th generation) and price hikes.

In the earnings call for the fourth quarter, Samsung stated, "We expanded HBM sales and responded to demand with high-value products such as high-capacity DDR5 and low-power, high-performance DRAM (LPDDR5X)." They also noted that the average selling price (ASP) of DRAM increased by around 40% compared to the previous quarter due to overall price hikes and the growing sales of server-oriented high-value products.

During the same period, Micron's market share decreased from 25.8% to 22.9%, while China's CXMT saw a slight increase in market share from 3.7% to 4.7%.

In addition to expanding sales of mainstream DRAM products, Samsung plans to maintain its market leadership in DRAM with the HBM4 product, which supports speeds of up to 13Gbps (13 gigabits per second).

Samsung's HBM4 is set to be used in NVIDIA's latest AI accelerator, "Vera Rubin," and industry insiders expect Samsung to expand its HBM supply not only to NVIDIA but also to other major global tech companies. As a result, Samsung is expected to capture about 30% of the HBM market this year, with HBM sales projected to triple compared to the previous year.

By: DocMemory
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