Shares of major memory chipmakers rose on Monday as investors bet that a global supply shortage — fueled by booming demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure — will continue to push prices higher.
Executives across the industry have warned that the crunch could last for years. Samsung co-CEO TM Roh called the shortage “unprecedented,” as manufacturers divert production capacity toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI servers, tightening supply for other products such as smartphone and USB flash memory.
Stock gains reflected the optimism. Micron Technology rose about 2% in early trading, while shares of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix jumped roughly 7.5% and 3%, respectively. Micron’s stock surged 240% in 2025, far outpacing the broader chip index.
Market researcher TrendForce says prices in some memory segments have more than doubled since early last year. Analysts at Morningstar and J.P. Morgan estimate that the current memory “supercycle” could extend into 2027, despite the sector’s historically volatile nature.
Smaller players such as Western Digital and Seagate Technology also posted gains, underscoring broad investor appetite for the memory chip sector.
