SK Hynix maintains 58% share of HBM (high-bandwidth memory) market; Samsung defends DRAM/NAND leadership positions.

SK Hynix maintains dominant control of the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market with 58% share, a critical component for AI accelerators and high-performance computing systems. Samsung is holding its leadership positions in DRAM and NAND flash memory, both essential building blocks for AI infrastructure.

The market concentration underscores the supply-chain concentration risk for the AI buildout. HBM shortage has been a bottleneck for GPU and accelerator production; SK Hynix's supermajority stake means its production capacity and pricing decisions directly constrain the pace at which AI cloud providers and chip makers like NVIDIA can scale. Samsung's strength in commodity DRAM and storage helps distribute supply risk, but the two companies together control the vast majority of these critical memory types.

For AI infrastructure growth, this duopoly dynamic means both companies will see sustained demand from data-center buildouts, but also face pressure to scale production and manage geopolitical trade tensions. Any disruption at either vendor—or capacity constraints during peak demand—ripples through the entire AI chip and systems supply chain.