Seoul: SK hynix Inc. has retained its lead in the global dynamic random access memory (DRAM) market in the second quarter, widening its gap with domestic competitor Samsung Electronics Co., industry data showed Friday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, global DRAM sales totaled US$30.9 billion in the April-June period, rising 17.3 percent from the previous quarter. This increase was driven by rising DRAM contract prices and growing shipments of high bandwidth memory (HBM), based on data from global market research firm Omdia.

SK hynix's market share increased to 39.5 percent from 36.9 percent in the first quarter, maintaining the top position for the second consecutive quarter. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics experienced a decrease in its market share, falling from 34.4 percent to 33.3 percent over the same period. Consequently, the gap between the two chipmakers widened significantly from 2.5 percentage points to 6.2 percentage points.

In terms of sales, SK hynix reported $12.2 billion in the second quarter, with Samsung trailing behind with $10.3 billion. SK hynix had claimed the top spot in the DRAM market in the first quarter for the first time since Samsung became the global leader in 1992.

Another market tracker, TrendForce, also ranked SK hynix as No. 1 in the second quarter in the global DRAM market with a 38.7 percent share, up from 36 percent in the first quarter. SK hynix is expected to maintain its top position in the annual ranking, supported by its leadership in the HBM market. The company has already announced that it has sold out its HBM supply for 2025.