Q3 ranking of the global NAND flash memory market: Samsung Electronics/ Armored Man / SK Hynix ranked in the top three

This year, the competition between global NAND flash memory companies is very fierce. Unlike the top three patterns of the DRAM market, there are more players in the NAND flash memory market. In this market, Samsung Electronics has been ranked first for 20 consecutive years, and SK Hynix has also increased its share, followed by it.

Intel, the largest U.S. semiconductor company that once commanded the global SSD (Solid-State Drive) market, sold its NAND division to SK Hynix in order to focus on its main business, and Yangtze River Storage, the largest memory semiconductor company in Chinese mainland, is also expanding its production capacity to increase market share.

According to market research agency Omdia data, in the third quarter of this year, Samsung Electronics' share of the global NAND flash memory market reached 34.5%, maintaining the first place for many years. It is followed by Japan's Armor (19.5%), SK Hynix (13.6%), Western Digital (13.0%), Micron (9.9%) and Intel (5.9%), which have formed a competitive landscape for many companies.

At present, the DRAM market is basically divided by Samsung Electronics (43.9%) and SK Hynix (27.6%), Micron (22.7%), but in the NAND flash memory market, 6 companies occupy a significant share and compete.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Samsung Electronics, which reached the top of the NAND flash memory market in 2002, maintained a gap of about 15 percentage points with the second-ranked armored man, and is expected to hold the first position this year. At this point, Samsung will set a record of the largest share of NAND flash memory for 20 consecutive years.

In addition to Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix has actively developed the growth momentum of NAND business in the NAND flash memory market competition pattern.

SK Hynix' share rose for four consecutive quarters from 11.3% in the third quarter of last year, reaching 13.6% in the third quarter of this year. This is SK Hynix' largest share in the quarter.

SK Hynix lost money in the NAND flash memory business for 11 consecutive quarters from the fourth quarter of 2018 due to the construction of the M15 semiconductor plant in Chungbuk Cheongju and initial investment expenses, but in the third quarter of this year, due to the improvement in production volume (ratio of defect-free qualified products) and the increase in shipments, the company successfully achieved a surplus conversion. (Proofreading/New)