Enterprise SSD Market Booms as Samsung, SK hynix and Micron Revenues Double

According to TrendForce, revenue for major NAND vendors in the global enterprise SSD market more than doubled in the second quarter of 2026 from the previous quarter. Combined revenue for the top five enterprise SSD brands came to USD 37.59 billion, up 103.6% from the previous quarter. That is about KRW 52 trillion.

All five of the top companies posted growth of roughly 100% from the previous quarter. In the second quarter of 2026, revenue at leading players in the enterprise SSD market rose sharply from the previous quarter.

NAND suppliers focused on expanding enterprise SSD sales to improve profitability. As a result, enterprise SSD shipments increased and contract prices for enterprise SSDs also rose.

Enterprise SSDs have therefore emerged as a key product driving earnings improvement for NAND vendors. By company, Samsung Electronics took the top spot with revenue of USD 14.35 billion, or about KRW 19.4644 trillion.

Samsung Electronics saw shipments of its 176-layer QLC products rise sharply, and the share of higher-spec PCIe 5.0 products in total shipments also expanded. The impact was attributed to the fact that major North American CSPs have been shifting their data center architectures from PCIe 4.0 to PCIe 5.0.

Analysts also said Samsung Electronics benefited from the PCIe 5.0 transition. TrendForce said Samsung Electronics was the preferred supplier for many server customers based on its ability to supply both DRAM and NAND at the same time.

SK hynix ranked second. SK hynix posted revenue of KRW 11.71 trillion and expanded shipments of its 321-layer TLC products.

Solidigm also expanded shipments of large-capacity QLC enterprise SSDs. The SK group continued its strong growth on the back of that shipment expansion.

Micron recorded the highest growth rate among the top five companies. Micron's revenue in the second quarter of 2026 was about USD 6.98 billion, or about KRW 9.4645 trillion, up 126.3% from the previous quarter.

Micron devoted a significant portion of its capacity to enterprise SSDs and HBM. It increased shipments of large-capacity enterprise SSDs based on 232-layer QLC, and the product helped drive revenue sharply higher. Micron was also seen as playing a leading role in the development and certification of PCIe 6.0 enterprise SSDs.

Kioxia ranked fourth. Kioxia's revenue was USD 4.643 billion, or about KRW 6.2956 trillion. The company expanded production of 218-layer-based products certified by major North American CSPs, and its share of procurement by server brands also increased, which was analyzed as a factor behind its revenue growth.

Sandisk ranked fifth. Sandisk's revenue was about USD 2.98 billion, or about KRW 4 trillion. Sandisk expanded mass production of large-capacity QLC enterprise SSDs and also increased shipments, which was cited as the main reason for its improved results.

As the AI data center market expands, demand for enterprise SSDs is rising rapidly. In step with this trend, NAND vendors are moving to reorganize their businesses around higher-margin products.

Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Micron are expanding investments in higher-layer NAND and QLC, as well as PCIe 5.0- and PCIe 6.0-based enterprise SSDs. Against this backdrop, whether SK hynix and Kioxia will cooperate in production, as well as whether SK hynix and Kioxia will cooperate in R&D, is expected to emerge as a key variable going forward, along with the potential impact on the NAND supply chain.

Source: TECHWORLD · Park Kyu-chan
Original: https://www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=406526

References

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