Samsung Electronics captured 39.4 percent of the global dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) market by revenue in the second quarter of 2026, an industry report showed Monday, extending its lead amid the global artificial intelligence (AI) boom.

According to the report released by market research firm TrendForce, Korea's top memory chipmaker saw its DRAM revenue climb 63.4 percent from the previous quarter to $60.98 billion in the April-June period. Its market share rose from 38.5 percent in the January-March quarter.

DRAM is the workhorse memory used in everything from servers and data centers to PCs and smartphones, and demand for high-capacity, high-bandwidth memory has surged as AI data centers are built out. That demand has driven sharp revenue gains across the industry's top suppliers, with the overall market growing at rates rarely seen outside of major supply cycles.

Korea's SK hynix ranked second with a 24.9 percent share, down from 28.8 percent in the first quarter, even as its revenue increased 37.9 percent quarter-on-quarter to $38.59 billion.

U.S.-based Micron Technology held a 23.3 percent share of the global DRAM market in the second quarter, up from 22.4 percent in the previous quarter, with revenue rising 65.5 percent over the period to $36 billion, the report showed.

Together, the three companies accounted for roughly 87.6 percent of global DRAM revenue, underscoring how concentrated the industry remains after years of consolidation left Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron as the dominant players.

Overall, the global DRAM market generated $154.73 billion in revenue in the second quarter, up 59.5 percent from the previous quarter, driven by increased shipments of various memory products, according to TrendForce.

The quarterly ranking shifts among the top three are closely watched as an indicator of how AI-related memory demand is distributed, and future TrendForce reports will show whether Samsung can hold its widened lead as competitors ramp up their own supply.

Source: The Korea Times