Memory market projected to exceed semiconductor revenue in 2026

memory market AI infrastructure semiconductor revenue DRAM prices cloud capital expenditure

The global semiconductor and memory markets are undergoing a massive shift driven by AI infrastructure demands. Gartner predicts that by 2026, the memory market will reach $837.3 billion, surpassing the total semiconductor revenue recorded in 2025. This growth is fueled by the AI data center ecosystem, which is expected to account for over 53% of total industry revenue by 2030.

Cloud service providers are facing significant cost pressures. TrendForce estimates that capital expenditure for nine major global cloud providers will reach $922 billion in 2026 and $1.383 trillion in 2027. Within these budgets, memory costs are projected to rise from 47% of capital expenditure in 2026 to 68% in 2027. Specific components like HBM are expected to see contract price increases of 70% to 140% by 2027, while server DRAM prices could rise by approximately 270% in 2026.

Even older technology is not immune to these shifts. Morgan Stanley estimates that DDR4 module costs could increase by approximately 50% in the third quarter of 2026 as manufacturers migrate production capacity toward higher-margin products like HBM and DDR5. Meanwhile, companies like DapuMicro are seeing massive growth, reporting a net profit of 1.334 billion yuan for the first half of 2026, reflecting the broader industry super-cycle.

Entities

ByteDance · DapuMicro · DapuStor · DeepSeek · Gartner · Google · Nvidia · SK Hynix · Samsung Electronics · TrendForce · Yilian

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] The AI data center ecosystem is expected to account for over 53% of total industry revenue by 2030. www.ithome.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Memory costs for nine major global cloud service providers are projected to rise from 47% of capital expenditure in 2026 to 68% in 2027. www.tokenpost.kr
[○ 1 SOURCE] HBM contract prices could increase by 70% to 140% in 2027. www.tokenpost.kr
[○ 1 SOURCE] The memory market size is predicted to reach $837.3 billion in 2026, exceeding total semiconductor revenue from 2025. www.ithome.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Major cloud providers' capital expenditure is estimated to reach $922 billion in 2026 and $1.383 trillion in 2027. www.tokenpost.kr
[○ 1 SOURCE] DapuMicro reported revenue of 4.722 billion yuan and a net profit of 1.334 billion yuan for the first half of 2026. www.tmtpost.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Server DRAM contract prices are expected to rise by approximately 270% in 2026. www.tokenpost.kr
[○ 1 SOURCE] DDR4 module costs are estimated to increase by approximately 50% in the third quarter of 2026. www.hwupgrade.it