China’s YMTC Surges to Third Globally in NAND Chip Manufacturers

Data from Counterpoint Research indicates that Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) is rapidly expanding its footprint within a crucial semiconductor domain. During the second quarter, the producer secured third place globally in NAND memory chip shipments, positioning itself behind South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix while surpassing Japan’s Kioxia and U.S.-based Micron. The NAND segment represents approximately a quarter of Micron’s overall revenue, supplying non-volatile storage that retains data when unpowered, in contrast to the faster and costlier DRAM memory that accounts for roughly three-quarters of Micron’s top line.

YMTC captured a 14% global market share in shipments during the period, narrowly outperforming Kioxia, a competitor it had briefly overtaken a year prior before subsequently ceding ground. According to Counterpoint Research Director MS Hwang, the company is projected to extend its lead through 2027 and 2028, making its third-place achievement this quarter a critical shift in industry dynamics. Hwang emphasized that a 15% threshold is generally considered the baseline market share required for a memory manufacturer to self-fund future capital expenditures.

The milestone arrives as YMTC prepares for a public listing in mainland China, following the high-profile market debut of Chinese DRAM producer CXMT. CXMT held a 7% share of the DRAM market in the second quarter, ranking fourth behind market leader Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron. Industry-wide momentum remains robust, with first-quarter revenues reaching historical highs of nearly $100 billion for DRAM and $46 billion for NAND.

Despite higher shipment volumes, YMTC still trails Micron and Kioxia in monetary revenue due to its product composition. The manufacturer remains heavily concentrated in consumer applications rather than enterprise data centers—a segment projected to consume half of total global NAND bit supply by the end of 2026. Meanwhile, legacy competitors are expanding production capacity; SK Hynix is restarting operations at its facility in Dalian, China, following a four-year hiatus.