Global DRAM Revenue Surges 369% to Nearly $200B in Q3 2026
Counterpoint Research reported that global DRAM revenue reached nearly $200 billion in Q3 2026, marking a 369% year-over-year increase driven primarily by AI-induced price hikes rather than shipping volume. Samsung retained the top market share at 38%, while SK Hynix closed the gap with a strong revenue surge. This unprecedented super cycle transforms memory chips from commodity items into high-value, scarce resources dictated by intense AI infrastructure demand. The soaring prices directly impact server and edge device costs while reshaping competitive dynamics among major semiconductor manufacturers. Unit shipment grew by only 4% quarter-over-quarter, with the average selling price (ASP) per Gb reaching $1.90. Meanwhile, traditional DRAM products like DDR and LPDDR grew faster than HBM in total revenue proportion, seeing massive year-over-year revenue spikes of 500% and nearly 400% respectively.
## BACKGROUND
Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DRAM) is a type of volatile semiconductor memory widely used in computing devices. High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) is a specialized 3D-stacked memory interface heavily utilized in high-performance AI accelerators and graphics processors, which often competes for the same advanced wafer manufacturing capacity as general-purpose DRAM.