Union rally causes Samsung fab production to plummet by 58% during night shift — over 40,000 people attended rally for better pay and bonuses
• The disruption was caused by a large union rally, nearly one‑third of Samsung’s semiconductor fab workforce, showing that even a short labor action can have an immediate and measurable impact on highly automated semiconductor operations. A prolonged strike could undermine Samsung’s lead in next‑generation memory (such as AI‑related chips) and potentially drive customers toward competitors like SK hynix, while also pushing prices higher across the industry.
Kioxia, Solidigm and SanDisk invests in Nanya Technology
• The move reflects a capital‑light expansion strategy for the companies: instead of direct fab investment, they gain strategic influence, supply visibility, and ecosystem resilience through financial participation. By backing Nanya’s 10nm‑class DRAM roadmap (DDR5 and LPDDR5), Kioxia and SanDisk position themselves closer to next‑generation memory technologies needed for high‑performance computing, enterprise storage, and AI accelerators.
SK hynix Begins Supply of 321-layer QLC NAND Up to 2TB cSSD
• This move marks a major milestone in ultra‑high‑layer NAND commercialization. The new product, PQC21, is positioned as a next‑generation storage solution for the AI PC era, targeting systems that require high capacity, strong performance, and improved power efficiency. QLC NAND’s share of the global cSSD market is expected to grow from 22% in 2025 to 61% by 2027 according to IDC projections. The supply launch supports SK hynix’s strategy to secure leadership in QLC‑based client, full‑scale shipments to Dell Technologies began in April 2026, with SK hynix planning to broaden supply to additional global OEMs over time.
Micron begins volume shipment of HBM4 36GB 12H
•This line is designed for Nvidia’s Vera Rubin AI platform. HBM4 achieves pin speeds exceeding 11 Gb/s, delivering aggregate bandwidth greater than 2.8 TB/s, which represents a 2.3× bandwidth increase over HBM3E.To support future capacity scaling, The firm also samples HBM4 48GB 16‑high (16H) stacks, enabling a 33% increase in capacity per HBM placement versus the 36GB 12H product, demonstrating advanced packaging capabilities.
demand for legacy‑node SSDs is minimal within overall SSD shipments. Rapid expansion in AI‑related applications in 2026 is expected to drive sustained growth in demand for mainstream advanced‑node 3D‑type SSD products.
Flash Sufficiency: CSP-driven AI expansion caused severe NAND shortages starting from Q3’25, and this might last during the entire 2026.
Price Trend: overall NAND flash price rose sharply in Q4’25 with enterprise and cloud service provider (CSP) demand surging—driven by AI infrastructure expansion and server upgrades. The market condition is projected to continue in 2026, sustaining NAND flash prices at a high level.
DRAM Sufficiency: Supply has come under significant pressure from Q3’25 through 2026 1H, as manufacturers phase out DDR4 production and reallocate capacity toward high-demand applications from the CSPs. This shift has led to a pronounced tightening in overall DRAM availability.
Price Trend: DDR4 price has risen sharply across both spot and contract markets, driven by CSP-led demand absorbing supply and growing HBM allocation crowding out commodity DRAM capacity.
