In what is a testament to the nearly unbounded ambitions of China's manufacturing sector, YMTC has just become the world's third-largest manufacturer of NAND, entering this august territory from a virtual obscurity in record time.
Counterpoint Research has now published its Memory and Storage Tracker report for Q2 2026, noting the following:
- Enterprise SSDs made up 48 percent of the total bits shipped in Q2.
- Samsung maintained its lead with a 25 percent shipment share, followed by SK hynix at 22 percent.
- YMTC entered the global Top 3 with a 14 percent shipment share, edging out Kioxia.
- "Alongside premiumization toward ultra-high capacity and performance, eSSDs in servers are expected to absorb more than half of all NAND bits by the end of this year," pushing consumer ASPs to record highs.
- Samsung's preference for "high-margin DRAM" capped its NAND output, while SK hynix received a boost from its subsidiary Solidigm, which grew its bit shipments by 40 percent quarter-over-quarter.
- YMTC grew 22 percent year-over-year and 5 percent quarter-over-quarter, capitalizing on widespread shortages and broadening supply to domestic OEMs, while mass-producing 267-layer 3D NAND and advancing 300+ layer technology built on its Xtacking architecture.
- Interestingly, "YMTC ranked third in shipments this quarter but closed fifth in terms of revenue, behind Micron and Kioxia, because its product mix is still concentrated in consumer applications with a low share of high-priced data-center eSSDs."
- "With servers set to take most NAND bits, profitability through 2027 will be decided less by who ships the most bits, but who ships the right mix."
Do note that YMTC currently has a combined production capacity of approximately 200,000 wafers per month across its first two fabrication facilities in Wuhan. What's more, the company is already working on a new fabrication plant, which will produce 100,000 wafers per month, and is expected to be finished this year. But that's not all. Apparently, YMTC is also eyeing two additional fabs with a capacity of 50,000 wafers per month each. Once completed, all of these fabs will take YMTC's production to a whopping 400,000 wafers per month .
Do note that, as of 2026, Samsung’s total global NAND flash production capacity is estimated to hover around 390,000 to 450,000 wafers per month, divided between Xi'an in China (140,000-150,000 wafers per month) and Pyeongtaek and Hwaseong facilities in South Korea (250,000-300,000 wafers per month).
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