Memory accounts for 50% of global semiconductor revenue as AI demand reshapes the chip industry

Memory chips, long considered the commodity basement of the semiconductor world, are about to become the majority of it. Gartner’s latest forecast projects memory semiconductor revenue will reach $837.3 billion by the end of 2026, accounting for 54% of the projected $1.555 trillion global semiconductor market. That’s up from just 27% in 2025. In other words, memory’s share of the total chip industry is expected to double in a single year. The numbers behind the surge DRAM revenue is projected to climb 246.6% year-over-year in 2026, while NAND flash is expected to jump by 371.9%. The driver is AI. Specifically, the insatiable appetite of AI data centers for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and advanced DRAM to feed the compute demands of training and running large models. Gartner expects AI data centers to account for 36.5% of total semiconductor revenue by 2026, eventually surpassing 53% by 2030. Memory semiconductor revenue is expected to surpass $1 trillion in 2027, as the broader global semiconductor market reaches $1.94 trillion. Who wins, and who’s spending Three companies sit at the center of this transformation: Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Micron Technology. SK hynix curre...