As its US rival lost its long-held lead in the vehicle memory industry, Samsung Electronics surpassed Micron Technology to become the world’s leading provider of automotive memory chips, taking a 40% market share.
Samsung’s market share for vehicle memory increased from 35% in 2024 to 40% last year, according to a research published in The Korea Herald. According to the research, which used data from S&P Global Mobility, Micron, the segment’s longstanding leader, dropped from 40% to 36% over that time.
“The gain gives Samsung a stronger foothold in a market that is smaller than servers or smartphones but harder to enter. Memory used in cars must meet strict reliability standards and is often supplied over longer product cycles, as automakers need parts that can remain available through years of production and maintenance,” the news report said.
This history has traditionally favored the US chipmaker. Citing a recent report by the Korea Automotive Technology Institute, the report stated that, “Micron held 51.7 per cent of the automotive memory market in 2024, compared with 16.8 per cent for Samsung and 3.0 per cent for SK hynix.”
The report noted that Korean memory makers had built their strength around high-capacity chips for servers and mobile devices, while Micron had expanded in automotive and industrial memory since the early 1990s.
Samsung’s rise also broadens its memory business at a time when investors are focused on high-bandwidth memory used in artificial intelligence servers. Automotive memory is a different market, with lower volume but longer qualification periods and closer ties to vehicle chip platforms.
The company also remained the largest player in the wider DRAM market in the first quarter of 2026, with a 38 per cent share, the report said, citing a Counterpoint Research. Global DRAM revenue reached a record USD 97 billion during the quarter as AI data center demand lifted memory prices.
(ANI)
Syed Ziyauddin is a media and international relations enthusiast with a strong academic and professional foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Master’s in International Relations (West Asia) from the same institution.
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