Prime Highlights
- YMTC captured a 14% share of the global NAND market, moving into third place.
- A Counterpoint director said YMTC is projected to extend its lead further in 2027 and 2028.
Key Facts
- YMTC is a Chinese memory chipmaker specializing in NAND flash storage.
- NAND and DRAM markets both hit record revenue levels earlier this year.
Background
Yangtze Memory Technologies, known as YMTC, has rapidly gained ground in the NAND memory chip sector, moving into third place globally by shipments in the second quarter, according to Counterpoint Research. The Chinese chipmaker trailed South Korea’s Samsung and SK hynix but overtook US rival Micron and Japan’s Kioxia in the segment.
NAND chips retain data even when devices are powered off, though they run slower than the costlier DRAM chips. YMTC captured a 14% share of the NAND market, narrowly surpassing Kioxia a year earlier before slipping behind again in subsequent months, Counterpoint Research Director MS Hwang noted.
Hwang said YMTC is expected to extend its lead further in 2027 and 2028, calling this quarter’s third-place finish significant for the competitive landscape. He added that a 15% market share is typically the threshold a memory manufacturer needs to fund its own capital expenditure for future growth.
YMTC is preparing for a public listing in mainland China, following the strong market debut of DRAM-focused Chinese chipmaker CXMT earlier in the year. CXMT held 7% of the DRAM market in the second quarter, placing fourth behind Micron, SK hynix and leader Samsung.
Both DRAM and NAND markets hit record revenue levels earlier this year, nearing 100 billion dollars and 46 billion dollars respectively, Counterpoint said. Despite its shipment gains, YMTC still trails Micron and Kioxia in NAND revenue, as it sells more to consumer applications than to data centers, a segment expected to account for half of all NAND demand by the end of the year. Separately, SK hynix is resuming investment at a China facility after a four-year pause.
