On April 14, the A-share memory chip sector experienced a significant surge. The Memory Chip Concept Index rose 4.14% by midday, with Sharetronic Data Technology Co.,Ltd. hitting the 20% daily limit in early trading. Shenzhen Dawei Innovation Technology Co.,Ltd. and Wininnovation Culturaltainment Development Limited also reached the upper limit. Among leading companies, Shenzhen Longsys Electronics Co.,Ltd., Biwin Storage Technology Co.,Ltd., and Shenzhen Techwinsemi Technology Co.,Ltd., each with market capitalizations exceeding one hundred billion, all saw their share prices reach new historical highs.
Since the beginning of the year, global memory chip prices have been on a sustained upward trend, indicating the industry has entered a high-growth cycle. According to data from market research firm TrendForce, the projected increase in standard DRAM contract prices for Q1 2026 has been revised upwards from the initial forecast of 55%-60% to 90%-95%. Similarly, the projected increase for NAND Flash contract prices has been adjusted from 33%-38% to 55%-60%. Entering the second quarter, memory prices continue to climb, with the upward momentum for NAND further accelerating.
On the same day, buoyed by renewed optimism regarding AI demand and positive developments related to memory peer Sandisk, shares of global memory giant SK Hynix climbed to a record high. This rally followed a strong Wall Street close on Monday, where tech stocks led gains amid persistent enthusiasm for AI-related growth, further boosting investor interest in semiconductor stocks linked to data center demand. SK Hynix, a key supplier of High Bandwidth Memory chips used in AI processors, advanced with the broader sector. Its shares listed in Seoul surged by as much as 9% to 1,128,000 won, setting a new all-time high.
Market sentiment was also supported by Sandisk's impending inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 Index, a move that typically attracts passive fund inflows. SK Hynix and Sandisk are jointly promoting the standardization of High Bandwidth Flash, a new type of memory tier designed to complement HBM and enhance the scalability and efficiency of AI workloads. This collaboration aims to bridge the performance and capacity gaps in AI systems, positioning both companies to benefit from the next wave of data center and inference-driven demand.
On April 13, Eastern Time, shares of memory chip manufacturer Sandisk surged again by 11.83% on Monday, driven by rating upgrades from several Wall Street investment banks and strong fundamentals. Its year-to-date gain has now exceeded 300%. Since the start of the year, Sandisk's stock has accumulated a gain of nearly 260%, with a surge of over 2,600% in the past year. Recently, the NASDAQ stock exchange announced on its official website that memory chip company Sandisk will replace software company Atlassian and be included in the Nasdaq-100 Index before the market opens on Monday, April 20, 2026.
An open-source securities research report indicated that after Samsung Electronics increased DRAM contract prices by 100% in the first quarter of 2026, DRAM contract prices are expected to rise by another 30% quarter-over-quarter in the second quarter. Samsung Electronics confirmed that it completed price negotiations with major clients and signed supply contracts by the end of March 2026. Furthermore, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix announced they have formally decided to abandon the short-term supply contract model, used for many years on an annual or quarterly basis, in favor of requiring global core technology clients to sign long-term supply agreements with terms of 3 to 5 years. This shift is expected to reshape the collaborative landscape of the storage industry.