Major global tech companies are confirming robust demand for HBM (high-bandwidth memory) as they rush to expand AI infrastructure investments. With clear signs of market growth, Samsung Electronics is adopting a strategy to reclaim the top spot in market share by leading with HBM4 (6th generation). SK Hynix also strongly expressed its determination to maintain its number-one position, stating that "it will be difficult to secure competitiveness within a short period."
According to the electronics industry on the 2nd, four major hyperscalers—Amazon, Google (Alphabet), Microsoft, and Meta—successively revised up their capital expenditure (CAPEX) plans for this year in their second-quarter earnings announcements. Their total investment scale for this year has been increased from a maximum of $725 billion to $760 billion, reaching an all-time high level.
In particular, Amazon recently raised its capital expenditure plan for this year by 10%, citing rising memory semiconductor (hereinafter referred to as "memory") prices as the background. Amazon stated, "Even with an investment of $220 billion, it will not be enough to meet all demand this year," and projected that "this situation will continue into 2027."
Hyperscalers explained that there is still a shortage in AI infrastructure supply and that profits from investments are beginning to materialize. They also expect the expansion of AI data center investments to continue through next year. The investment scale of major hyperscalers next year is estimated to exceed 1 trillion won.
Aggressive expansion of AI data center investments is further boosting HBM demand. With big tech companies developing their own AI accelerators, the HBM market is gradually diversifying beyond NVIDIA's dominance. As the market growth trend becomes clearer, the competition for market share between Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix has intensified. Recent earnings reports also revealed a sharp rivalry between the two companies surrounding the HBM market.
At its "2026 second-quarter earnings announcement" held on the 30th of last month, Samsung Electronics stated that "HBM4 sales in the third quarter of this year will expand more than three times compared to the previous quarter," and added that it aims to secure an HBM market share equivalent to its overall DRAM market share by the second half of the year.
This effectively sets a goal to take the number-one spot even in the HBM market. According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, Samsung Electronics' global DRAM market share (based on revenue) in the first quarter was 38%, leading SK Hynix by 9 percentage points (p) and securing the top position. In contrast, in the HBM market, SK Hynix maintained its lead with 58%, while Samsung Electronics remained at 21%.
Samsung Electronics lost its number-one position in the global DRAM market to SK Hynix in the first quarter of last year due to poor performance in HBM and other factors. This was the first time since 1992, after 33 years, that Samsung Electronics missed out on the top spot in the DRAM market. Since then, with efforts to strengthen HBM competitiveness and expand sales of general-purpose DRAM, it regained the DRAM throne in the fourth quarter of last year.
However, in the HBM market, SK Hynix has maintained its lead from the early stages of the market. Samsung Electronics is adopting a strategy to quickly narrow the gap in market share by leading with HBM4, which was first installed in Yangsan by the industry. HBM4 supply is scheduled to expand significantly starting from the second half of this year. The expansion of customer base beyond NVIDIA to include AMD and Google are also positive factors.
Samsung Electronics is expanding HBM supply based on long-term agreements (LTAs). In particular, during the earnings announcement, it emphasized that it has signed LTAs with five major data center operators and "is operating a balanced customer portfolio that is not overly concentrated on any specific customer." The industry views this statement as targeting SK Hynix, which has a high dependence on NVIDIA.
SK Hynix also expressed confidence in maintaining its number-one position. At the earnings announcement held on the 29th of last month, SK Hynix stated that "it began shipping HBM4 from Yangsan starting in the second quarter and plans to significantly expand production in the second half." It further added, "We have consistently demonstrated our capabilities since HBM2E (3rd generation)," drawing a line by stating that "the competitiveness accumulated over time in terms of market launch timing, product performance, Yangsan yield, quality, and customer trust is a differentiated factor that cannot be secured within a short period." It also highlighted the stability of HBM4 at Yangsan by noting that "yields and quality have reached levels close to previous generations that have entered the maturity stage."
This signifies its intention to maintain its leading position based on its capability to supply products on time from Yangsan and its accumulated customer trust. In particular, it emphasized that it has completed LTAs with 10 companies, including "key customers." Meanwhile, both companies also publicly announced the supply of samples for their next-generation product, HBM4E (7th generation), further fueling technological competition surrounding the next-generation market.
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