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Global DRAM sales hit record $97 billion in Q1 2026 as AI demand surges 260% year on year

Global DRAM sales hit $97 billion in Q1 2026, up 260% year-over-year, fueled by AI data center demand. Samsung leads with 38% market share; China's CXMT jumped to 8% from 3%.

2 min read
Sales

DRAM Sales Hit Record $97 Billion as AI Data Centers Drive Demand

Global DRAM sales reached $97 billion in the first quarter of 2026, up 80% from the previous quarter and 260% year-over-year, according to Counterpoint Research. The surge reflects explosive investment in AI data center infrastructure, where memory chips are essential components.

Samsung Electronics held the top spot with 38% market share, extending its lead over SK hynix at 29%. Micron came third with 22%. Samsung regained the No. 1 position in the fourth quarter of 2025 and maintained it through the first quarter of this year.

What's Driving the Growth

Three factors pushed the market higher: unprecedented demand for server high-bandwidth memory (HBM), increased installations of low-power DRAM (LPDDR5) in data centers, and memory prices hitting all-time highs during the quarter.

HBM chips are critical for AI applications that require fast data movement between processors and memory. LPDDR5 offers power efficiency for data center infrastructure. Both are seeing rapid adoption as companies build out AI capabilities.

China's CXMT Emerges as Competitor

China's Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) more than doubled its market share to 8% from 3% a year earlier. The company's sales jumped over 700% year-over-year, driven by growing AI-related DRAM demand across Chinese markets-from smartphones to servers.

CXMT is preparing an initial public offering to fund capacity expansion and enter the HBM market for AI data centers, positioning itself as a third major player in global memory manufacturing.

What This Means for Sales Professionals

For sales teams in enterprise software, infrastructure, or related sectors, this data reveals where customer spending is concentrating. AI data center buildouts are now the primary growth engine for semiconductor suppliers-a shift that affects procurement patterns and budget allocation across industries.

Understanding which companies control memory supply and how capacity constraints affect pricing helps sales professionals position solutions that address data center efficiency or AI infrastructure needs. Samsung's widening lead and CXMT's rapid growth also signal shifting competitive dynamics in a market that directly influences broader technology spending.

Learn more about AI Data Analysis to better understand market trends, or explore AI for Sales to see how these infrastructure shifts create sales opportunities.

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