(TrendForce)

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SK hynix maintained its top position in the global DRAM market for the third consecutive quarter, buoyed by strong demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM). However, the gap with runner-up Samsung Electronics narrowed sharply, according to market tracker TrendForce on Wednesday.

Global DRAM revenue reached $41.4 billion in the July-September period of this year, up 30.9 percent from the previous quarter, driven by a steep rise in chip prices.

SK hynix posted sales of $13.75 billion, up 12.4 percent on quarter, but its market share fell from 38.7 percent to 33.2 percent. Samsung Electronics recorded $13.5 billion in DRAM revenue, up 30.4 percent from the prior quarter, with its market share dipping slightly from 32.7 percent to 32.6 percent. The gap between the two narrowed from 6 percentage points to just 0.6 percentage points.

Micron Technology ranked third with $10.65 billion in sales, up 53.2 percent quarter-on-quarter, and expanded its market share to 25.7 percent from 22 percent.

TrendForce said the narrowing gap among the top three chipmakers reflects the broad-based rise in DRAM prices, which boosted sales for Samsung and Micron—whose exposure to the HBM segment remains smaller than SK hynix’s.

The research firm projected that DRAM prices will continue rising in the fourth quarter, expecting mainstream DRAM contract prices to climb 45–50 percent and overall DRAM prices, including HBM, to rise 50–55 percent from the previous quarter. It added that most suppliers’ DRAM inventories have been nearly depleted.