SK hynix has taken the lead from Samsung Electronics as the top DRAM maker worldwide signaling the first change in leadership in over three decades. The main reason for this market shift is high bandwidth memory (HBM) where SK hynix has an exclusive deal to supply NVIDIA while Samsung hasn't yet secured this partnership (it does however supply HBM3E to AMD and Broadcom). Samsung's slice of the global DRAM market dropped significantly from 41.5% at the end of 2024 to 32.7% in the first half of 2025. This 8.8% drop is Samsung's biggest market share loss since they started keeping track in 1999. The company's market position has gone back to levels not seen since 2014.

SK hynix grabbed a 36.3% market share in the first half of 2025 beating Samsung for the first time since 1992. SK hynix DRAM market share has been growing from 27.7% in 2022 to its current top spot. A key component for this growth was also SK hynix's U.S. subsidiary which reported sales of $17.79 billion in the first half of 2025, representing a 103 percent increase from the previous year. Industry analysts expect SK hynix to maintain its competitive advantage in the HBM market despite anticipated increased competition from other manufacturers.