Micron, SK Hynix, 삼성전자 주가가 중국 CXMT의 발표로 촉발된 반도체 매도세 속에 하락했다.

Micron and SK Hynix shares fell in early trading on Tuesday. Shares of US-based Micron Technology dropped 4%, while SK Hynix fell 5% as memory-chip stocks faced a global sell-off. The selling intensified after South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index plunged.

Losses were steeper in South Korea. SK Hynix shares fell 10%, and Samsung Electronics shares declined 7%. Both stocks extended their losing streaks to five consecutive trading sessions, according to Yahoo Finance. The decline is significant for the South Korean market, as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix together account for more than half of the country's total stock market capitalisation. Their sharp falls therefore added to pressure on the broader market.

China's CXMT is at the centre of the latest memory-chip sell-off. ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), a Chinese memory-chip maker, announced progress on a new memory-cell design. The technology is engineered to pack more storage into less physical space, raising concerns about increased competition for established memory-chip companies, according to Yahoo Finance.

CXMT plans to launch a new server memory product by the end of 2026, using its new memory-cell architecture. The planned introduction could increase competitive pressure on Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron in the global memory-chip market.

The new technology threatens the position of the world's largest memory-chip makers. Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron together account for roughly 90% of the global dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) market. CXMT's progress could intensify competition in a market currently dominated by these three companies, according to Yahoo Finance. Investors are weighing the potential impact of a new competitor on established manufacturers, and the development has contributed to the ongoing sell-off in memory-chip stocks.

Micron, Samsung and SK Hynix have all benefited from the artificial intelligence boom, as technology companies build more AI data centres around the world and drive demand for memory and storage chips. All three memory-chip makers reached $1 trillion valuations over the summer. However, their stocks have since fallen from their respective all-time highs, according to Yahoo Finance.

Samsung's record profit forecast has failed to lift the wider chip sector. Last week, Samsung reported a preliminary third-quarter profit of $80 billion, described in the supplied report as a record, but the forecast did little to improve sentiment across the sector.

Micron's strong financial results have not prevented the latest sell-off. The company reported strong quarterly results in September, and despite the recent market pressure, its shares remain up roughly 240% year to date.

The main concern is whether competition from China could challenge the current market leaders. CXMT's progress on a more space-efficient memory-cell design, and its plan to introduce a new server memory product by the end of 2026, have raised questions about future competition. These concerns have added to selling pressure on Micron, SK Hynix and Samsung shares, even as demand for memory chips remains supported by the AI data-centre boom.