Global Memory-Chip Revenue to Surge 280%, Reaching 54% of Semiconductor Market

"Memory to expand to 54% of total chip market

AI data centers to account for more than 53% by 2030"

Global memory-chip revenue is set to surge 280% this year from a year earlier, with memory poised to account for more than half of the overall semiconductor market. AI data-center spending is driving the shift, lifting demand not only for high-bandwidth memory but also for DRAM, NAND and non-memory chips.

Global semiconductor revenue will rise 92% this year to $1.5552 trillion from $809 billion last year, according to Gartner data released on Aug. 25. The market research firm projects revenue will climb further to $1.9399 trillion next year.

Memory is leading the expansion. Gartner estimates memory-chip revenue will reach $837.3 billion this year, up about 280% from $220.1 billion last year. Memory's share of total semiconductor revenue is projected to jump to 54% this year from 27% a year earlier.

The semiconductor industry is entering a new growth phase, Ben Lee, a director analyst at Gartner, said. Continued AI infrastructure investment and stronger-than-expected gains in memory prices are accelerating the industry's expansion.

DRAM Up 246.6%, NAND Flash Up 371.9%

Gartner projects sharp growth for both DRAM and NAND flash this year. DRAM revenue will increase 246.6% from a year earlier, while NAND flash revenue will rise 371.9%.

The trend bodes well for Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. Both companies make high-bandwidth memory, commodity DRAM and NAND, while demand for higher-value AI memory is rising and prices for conventional DRAM and NAND remain strong. Gartner expects supply to remain tight even as additional capacity comes online next year, as memory consumption tied to AI infrastructure buildouts continues to grow.

AI infrastructure has changed the dynamics of the memory market, Sreejith Panth, a director analyst at Gartner, said. This year's price gains will accelerate growth, while after 2027 continued AI infrastructure buildouts, higher memory content per AI server and firm demand for high-bandwidth memory will support memory revenue.

More Than Half of Chip Revenue to Be Tied to AI Data Centers by 2030

Semiconductor demand is also shifting rapidly. Gartner projects the AI data-center ecosystem's share of total semiconductor revenue will rise from 36.5% this year to more than 53% by 2030. That would mean more than half of global chip revenue is tied to AI data centers within four years.

AI infrastructure is reshaping not only investment patterns across the semiconductor ecosystem but also the composition of demand, Lee said. The AI data-center ecosystem's share of total semiconductor revenue is projected to expand from 36.5% in 2026 to more than 53% in 2030.

Products beyond memory also stand to benefit. As AI clusters grow in scale, computing speed and power consumption, demand will also increase for central processing units, networking chips, power-management semiconductors, analog devices and optical interconnects.

Revenue for semiconductors excluding memory will increase 21.9% this year to $717.9 billion from $589 billion last year, Gartner said. The firm expects that figure to rise to $864.4 billion next year.

AI is expanding opportunities across the semiconductor market, not just in a narrow set of product categories, Lee said.

Hong Min-seong, Hankyung.com reporter mshong@hankyung.com