Surging demand for AI data center infrastructure has already pushed the memory market into a structural shortage. Now, Samsung Electronics' labor dispute is adding another layer of uncertainty for DRAM and NAND Flash prices.

GigaDevice said tight supply and rising prices across DRAM, NOR Flash, and SLC NAND Flash continued to fuel strong first-quarter 2026 earnings growth, supported by recovering demand from AI, server, and industrial applications.

China's leading memory chipmakers are accelerating their push into public capital markets, with YMTC Group formally entering IPO guidance on May 19, shortly after domestic DRAM leader CXMT updated its own prospectus filings.

Kioxia Holdings is moving to capture a larger share of AI-related storage demand, as the shift from AI training to inference raises interest in high-speed, high-capacity NAND flash and solid-state drives.

China's memory semiconductor industry is entering a new phase of expansion as leading domestic players ramp up investments in both NAND flash and DRAM technologies, amid an AI-driven global memory boom and tightening supply conditions.

Samsung Electronics is reportedly reviving delayed semiconductor initiatives across next-generation NAND flash, compound semiconductors, advanced packaging, and substrates — areas it set aside after more than a year of prioritizing DRAM design and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) competitiveness. The move signals a shift from catch-up mode back toward longer-term technology investment.

AI will bring an epochal technology revolution, as did the invention of steam power and electricity, according to Transcend Information chairman Chung-Won Shu. He argued that DRAM and NAND flash will face shortages in 2026-2027 and could remain undersupplied in 2028. He said Transcend's multi-level cell (MLC) NAND inventory, bought before certain memory manufacturers stopped production, is enough