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ChangXin Memory Technologies has emerged as the fourth-largest DRAM supplier worldwide with an 8 percent market share in the first quarter of 2026, more than double its portion from the same period a year earlier, Counterpoint Research data shows. The Chinese firm’s revenue reached $7.5 billion during those three months, a 719 percent increase year on year, as global DRAM revenue hit a record $97 billion on the back of AI data center expansion that lifted prices across the sector. Samsung led the market with a 38 percent share while SK Hynix held 29 percent and Micron 22 percent, the research firm’s figures indicate. CXMT has shifted from years of losses supported by government funding to substantial profitability as the AI boom created scramble for supply that allowed the producer to set higher prices even for clients such as Huawei Technologies.
A Reuters report published Thursday in Gulf Times described how CXMT now dictates terms in the AI-driven memory market after previously depending on state support to develop its manufacturing base in Hefei, Anhui province. The company clashed with Huawei over equipment supplied by SiCarrier, a firm linked to the telecommunications giant, ordering SiCarrier engineers to leave its research and development floor during installation work. The episode highlighted tensions even as domestic chip makers gain influence within China’s technology supply chains.
Counterpoint Research identified CXMT as the fastest-growing DRAM supplier globally, with its expansion fueled by both rising chip prices and growing demand from Chinese smartphone and server manufacturers. The firm nearly tripled its monthly wafer production capacity over recent years, reaching levels that have enabled it to supply a larger portion of the domestic market. Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp, or YMTC, has recorded parallel gains in the NAND flash segment where its global revenue share climbed above 10 percent in the opening quarter of 2026.
The AI surge has propelled overall memory industry revenue higher, with high-bandwidth memory and advanced DRAM variants in particularly short supply as data center operators race to build out infrastructure. CXMT is preparing an initial public offering that could raise several billion dollars to accelerate capacity additions and accelerate its entry into the HBM market used in leading AI accelerators, company filings reviewed by analysts show. Full-year revenue for 2026 could surpass $50 billion if current pricing and volume trends continue, projections from Semianalysis indicate.
China’s memory chip makers ride AI boom to new power as both CXMT and YMTC pursue aggressive fab expansions in cities including Wuhan and Shanghai to close the technological gap with established leaders. The developments arrive as the three traditional giants allocate more production toward high-margin AI-specific chips, leaving conventional DRAM and NAND segments more accessible for newer entrants. Industry data from TrendForce and Omdia confirmed that Chinese producers have lifted their combined DRAM and NAND shares steadily since 2024 while maintaining focus on mature process nodes sufficient for most non-AI applications.
