YMTC Surpasses Kioxia in Global NAND Flash Shipments

Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. surpassed Japan's Kioxia Holdings Corp. in global NAND flash memory shipments during the June quarter. Data from Counterpoint indicates the Chinese chipmaker capitalized on AI-driven shortages and increased demand for power-efficient enterprise solid-state drives.

Despite the gain in shipment volume, the company remains fifth in total sales, trailing both Micron Technology Inc. and Kioxia. This disparity exists because the company's products are primarily concentrated in lower-priced consumer applications rather than the high-end data center market where Kioxia maintains a focus.

The growth aligns with a broader strategy by the Government of China to achieve semiconductor self-sufficiency. This shift was further enabled by global industry leaders Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc., which prioritized the production of advanced DRAM over NAND flash memory.