Counterpoint Research: Samsung regained 39% DRAM share in Q2 2026; Micron revenue surged ~400% YoY to challenge SK Hynix for second place; SK Hynix fell to 26% due to HBM pricing pressure and legacy supply agreements.

Counterpoint Research indicates that Micron Technology is poised to replace SK Hynix as the world's second-largest DRAM supplier, with revenues surging approximately fourfold since the second quarter of 2025. The research firm reports that Samsung Electronics reclaimed the top position in Q2 2026 with a 39% market share, driven by strong traditional DRAM pricing expected to support current-quarter profitability. SK Hynix's market share, by contrast, declined from 39% year-over-year to 26% in the second quarter, pressured by lower HBM pricing and early long-term supply agreements.

In parallel, refined copper has been flooding into the United States at the fastest pace in at least twelve years. July imports exceeded 200,000 tons—a single-month record dating back to available 2014 data—as global traders rush to position inventory ahead of potential tariff decisions by the Trump administration on refined copper imports. The import surge will further swell the substantial U.S. copper stockpile accumulated over the past year. Analysts note that if tariffs are ultimately imposed, a final wave of shipments will likely precede implementation; conversely, if the proposal is abandoned, trading flows may reverse as traders unwind the positions accumulated over the past eighteen months.