Samsung maintains the top spot in the global NAND market with 28% revenue share, though down from 29% in Q1 and 32% a year earlier. SK hynix holds second place at 19%, while Micron rounds out the top three at 15% benefiting from high selling prices. The NAND market grew 70% quarter-over-quarter in Q2, following 90% growth in Q1, driven almost entirely by rising prices rather than higher shipments.

Contract prices climbed 55% QoQ in Q2 alone, aligning with earlier estimates pointing to a 70-75% jump over the same stretch. The surge traces back to AI infrastructure consuming NAND supply that would otherwise go toward consumer SSDs. Enterprise and hyperscale buyers are stockpiling high-capacity flash for AI servers, drawn by far better margins than retail drives.

This has left less capacity for client SSDs, contributing to climbing consumer drive prices despite flat shipment volumes. China's YMTC emerges as a notable mover, growing from 9% share a year ago to 14% in Q2, likely picking up volume as the bigger three chase most profitable enterprise orders. Most forecasts still put meaningful price stabilization sometime in 2027, since new NAND capacity takes years to bring online and AI demand shows no sign of slowing.