China's YMTC became the world’s third‑largest NAND flash memory manufacturer in the second quarter of 2026, according to Counterpoint Research’s Memory and Storage Tracker report. The company now holds a 14 percent global shipment share, surpassing Kioxia.

The global NAND market remains dominated by Samsung, with a 25 percent shipment share, followed by SK hynix at 22 percent. Enterprise solid‑state drives accounted for 48 percent of total NAND bits shipped in Q2, and demand for server memory is projected to consume more than half of all NAND bits by the end of the year, contributing to higher average selling prices.

YMTC’s shipment volume rose 22 percent year‑over‑year and 5 percent quarter‑over‑quarter, driven by its 267‑layer 3D NAND products and ongoing development of 300‑plus‑layer technology based on its Xtacking architecture. The firm operates two fabrication plants in Wuhan with a combined monthly capacity of roughly 200,000 wafers and is building a third plant that will add 100,000 wafers per month, with two additional fabs of 50,000 wafers each slated for completion later this year, bringing total capacity to approximately 400,000 wafers per month. Samsung’s total NAND production capacity is estimated at 390,000 to 450,000 wafers per month, split between its Xi’an (140,000–150,000) and South Korean facilities (250,000–300,000).

Although YMTC ranks third in shipment volume, it placed fifth in revenue because its product mix is concentrated in lower‑priced consumer applications, while higher‑margin data‑center eSSDs are dominated by Samsung and Micron. Analysts note that profitability through 2027 will depend less on the volume of bits shipped and more on the mix of high‑capacity, high‑margin products.

The expansion positions YMTC to compete more directly with Samsung and SK hynix as the market shifts toward higher‑capacity server memory, though the company still lags in revenue generation.