Sam Badawi
Stock Analyst, Creator of Origins of Alpha & Quarterly Conviction
Memory undersupply should persist through 2031 on surging AI demand for HBM, DDR5 and enterprise SSDs, per Citi, which is bullish for Micron, SK hynix, Sandisk and memory makers broadly. Citi projects HBM bit demand rising 62% in 2027 and 69% in 2028, with DRAM demand outpacing supply in both years. NAND should also stay undersupplied as manufacturers prioritize new capacity for DRAM and HBM. x.comÂ
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's push to keep Apple from buying Chinese memory could be another catalyst for Micron, SanDisk, Samsung and SK hynix, because demand diverted from CXMT or YMTC has to move somewhere. Chinese memory names' inflated valuations look hard to sustain, with far more aggressive forward earnings setups, and US pressure on customer adoption makes that premium harder to justify. x.comÂ
Micron and SK hynix pricing in a memory shortage past 2030 extends the memory-cycle case beyond the Street's 2028 expectation. SK hynix's record quarter adds evidence: per Wall St Engine, revenue rose 328% to $78.9B, operating profit rose 632% to $62.8B, and operating margin hit 80%. Agentic and physical AI could add demand as they roll out. x.com x.comÂ
Micron, SanDisk and SK Hynix look very bullish because Samsung says the memory shortage will worsen in 2027. x.comÂ
Chinese memory makers YMTC and CXMT are using the AI-driven shortage to build a bigger competitive threat to Micron, Samsung and SK hynix. Per DigiTimes, both are scaling capacity with state backing to gain share; they are making inroads in PCs, and CXMT reportedly plans to ramp HBM3 later this year. The worst shortages ever seen have lifted prices only temporarily. Legacy DRAM makers face demand and supply pressure, and the market will eventually discount a far more competitive market. x.comÂ
Prepaid contracts and demand-paced fabs weaken a broad 2028 memory-glut case. SK hynix says over half its 2027-28 capacity is signed with deposits; 'sold out through 2029' includes negotiations. Samsung targets 60-70% contracted capacity. Micron's three projects begin output in 2H28; tooling follows demand. Reuters says CXMT's 20-30%-yield HBM3E may ship this year to export-restricted Chinese buyers, but performs like older HBM3. Commodity DRAM risks 2028-29 oversupply; NAND could ease in 2H27. … Show more
Memory remains structurally scarce because SK hynix says conventional DRAM and HBM are practically sold out through 2029, while customers request roughly twice the HBM volume it can produce. Long-term agreements cover more than half of 2027 and 2028 capacity, and the company expects the supply-demand imbalance to persist through 2030. x.com x.comÂ
Inflation, rising rates, Chinese competition and rising AI-related financial costs are pressuring the memory market. Micron, Samsung and SK hynix look exposed; waiting for the cycle to turn. x.com x.comÂ
Micron's ordinary memory could see tighter supply because HBM consumes far more factory capacity than conventional DRAM. Meeting AI demand could thus extend Micron's opportunity beyond AI memory. x.comÂ
A worsening memory shortage in 2027 could favor Micron, SanDisk and SK hynix as AI stocks. Samsung warns that the shortage will worsen then. x.comÂ
Memory prices look to be at their peak for SK hynix and Micron as Chinese commoditization catches up. CXMT has made HBM3E and is now only one generation from HBM4, so China will scale its own DRAM and HBM production. Over several years, supply and innovation have always caught up with demand in past cycles, and US work on memory architectures that work around HBM or use less of it is already well underway. That contradicts @jukan05's reading that CXMT's progress tightens commodity DRAM. x.com … Show more
SK hynix's sold-out memory capacity bodes well for Micron because it sells into the same shortage. SK hynix says its DRAM and HBM are effectively sold out through 2029; deals with 14 customers cover more than half its 2027-28 capacity, and HBM demand is twice what it can make. x.comÂ
