Samsung Leads NAND Market as Prices Climb 55% in a Single Quarter
The latest NAND market share data from Counterpoint Research shows just how far prices have risen in 2026. The global NAND market grew 70% quarter-over-quarter in Q2, following 90% growth in Q1. This is driven almost…
The latest NAND market share data from Counterpoint Research shows just how far prices have risen in 2026. The global NAND market grew 70% quarter-over-quarter in Q2, following 90% growth in Q1. This is driven almost entirely by rising prices rather than higher shipments. NAND contract prices climbed 55% QoQ in Q2 alone, which lines up with earlier TrendForce estimates pointing to a 70-75% jump over the same stretch. Samsung held onto the top spot with 28% revenue share, down slightly from 29% in Q1 and 32% a year earlier, while SK hynix sits second at 19% and Micron rounds out the top three at 15%, helped along by high selling prices.
The surge traces back to AI infrastructure eating up NAND supply that would otherwise go toward consumer SSDs. Enterprise and hyperscale buyers are stockpiling high-capacity flash for AI servers, and manufacturers have leaned into that shift since it carries far better margins than retail drives. That's left less capacity for client SSDs, and it's part of why consumer drive prices keep climbing even as shipment volumes stay flat. China's YMTC is one of the more interesting movers here, growing from a 9% share a year ago to 14% in Q2, likely picking up volume as the bigger three chase their most profitable enterprise orders instead. Most forecasts still put meaningful price stabilization sometime in 2027, since new NAND capacity takes years to bring online and AI demand shows no sign of slowing.
The surge traces back to AI infrastructure eating up NAND supply that would otherwise go toward consumer SSDs. Enterprise and hyperscale buyers are stockpiling high-capacity flash for AI servers, and manufacturers have leaned into that shift since it carries far better margins than retail drives. That's left less capacity for client SSDs, and it's part of why consumer drive prices keep climbing even as shipment volumes stay flat. China's YMTC is one of the more interesting movers here, growing from a 9% share a year ago to 14% in Q2, likely picking up volume as the bigger three chase their most profitable enterprise orders instead. Most forecasts still put meaningful price stabilization sometime in 2027, since new NAND capacity takes years to bring online and AI demand shows no sign of slowing.