CXMT DRAM advance pressures global memory stocks

On October 12, ChangXin Memory Technologies said at a Shanghai conference that it would introduce its first server DDR5 RDIMM using a 4F² cell design and wafer-to-wafer hybrid bonding by year-end. The announcement pressured Micron, SK Hynix, Samsung and other semiconductor shares as investors assessed a potential new competitor in server DRAM. CXMT’s architecture can fit 30–50% more cells into the same area than the mainstream 6F² design.

The reported investor concern is that a stronger Chinese supplier in server DRAM could weaken established memory makers’ pricing power. One account says CXMT has not yet demonstrated that it can manufacture the chips in commercial volumes.

  • 1At a Shanghai conference on the 10th, CXMT said it would unveil its first server-grade DDR5 RDIMM products using 4F² cells and wafer-to-wafer hybrid bonding by year-end.
  • 2CXMT’s 4F² architecture was described as fitting 30–50% more cells into the same area than 6F².
  • 3TrendForce ranked CXMT fourth globally in DRAM revenue in Q2, with 9.5% market share, versus Samsung Electronics at 39.4%, SK Hynix at 24.9% and Micron at 23.3%.
  • 4Micron fell 3.87% to $989.21, while SK Hynix ADRs fell 4.05% to $162.18 on the 12th.
  • 5Micron, SK Hynix and SanDisk together lost approximately $108 billion in market value.
  • Only one material says CXMT has not yet proved it can manufacture the new chips in commercial volumes.

Sources