YMTC Closes In on SK Hynix's NAND Market Share as CXMT Introduces High-K Dielectric Materials
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YMTC's NAND revenue share rose to 16.2%, nearly matching SK Hynix's 16.4%; CXMT has introduced high-k metal gate technology into its latest DRAM — China's memory chip race has shifted from building capacity to competing on process nodes and materials.
How did YMTC close the NAND gap so fast?
In Q1 2026, YMTC's NAND revenue share jumped from 11.5% to 16.2%. SK Hynix (including Solidigm) dropped from 21.4% to 16.4% over the same period — the two are now nearly level.
The key is process generation: 68% of YMTC's output runs on 232-layer products, while roughly 50% of SK Hynix's output still sits on 176-layer. This means → YMTC's mainstream product is a full generation ahead of SK Hynix's.
In plain terms = a more advanced node delivers both lower cost and higher selling prices. Falling behind on process migration squeezes margins and market share simultaneously.
Why is SK Hynix falling behind in NAND?
SK Hynix has cut NAND capex for three straight years: $3.5 B in 2023 → $3.0 B in 2024 → $2.9 B in 2025, channeling resources into DRAM and HBM — high-bandwidth memory, the ultra-fast memory that feeds AI chips.
This reflects a deliberate strategic trade-off: SK Hynix is betting on AI-driven HBM demand, but the cost is visibly slower NAND migration.
Samsung and Micron are moving much faster. Samsung has shifted over 60% of output to 236-layer; Micron's 232-layer accounts for 53%, with the newer 276-layer already at 33%.
Where do the other NAND players stand?
Kioxia and SanDisk still carry a large legacy base — 162-layer and 112-layer products together account for roughly 70% of Q2 output.
But the catch-up is accelerating: 218-layer share rose from 9% in Q4 2025 to 24% in Q2, nearly tripling in two quarters.
This means → the entire industry is migrating above 200 layers. SK Hynix's process lag is not a temporary stumble — multiple competitors are pulling ahead at the same time.
What does CXMT's adoption of high-k materials signal?
According to a TechInsights report, CXMT has introduced HKMG — high-k metal gate, a process that uses a special insulating material to cut leakage current and store more charge per transistor at the same voltage — into its G4 (16 nm-class) node and LPDDR5X products.
DDR5 and LPDDR5 are already in mass production. Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron all use HKMG — CXMT's adoption marks a shift from "scaling up fabs" to "upgrading materials and transistor architecture."
In plain terms = the competition used to be about who builds more factories. Now it is about who uses more advanced materials and processes.
How far along is CXMT's HBM roadmap?
CXMT is pushing HBM2E risk production on its G3 (18 nm-class) node; HBM3 on the G4 node is in customer sampling.
TechInsights estimates CXMT still trails leading DRAM suppliers by roughly two generations, but the company is already developing a G5 (15 nm-class) node.
This reflects the core tension in China's DRAM catch-up: closing the existing gap while keeping pace with Samsung and SK Hynix as they push into 4F² and 3D DRAM — a next-generation architecture that stacks memory cells vertically instead of laying them flat. Whether CXMT can do both at once will determine the ceiling of China's DRAM competitiveness.
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