Chinese memory could become far more commonplace in the years to come.
Chinese memory firm CXMT was late to the party with DDR5. but it’s using this moment as a springboard to become a major player in consumer DDR6 memory when it launches in the next few years, WCCFTech reports.
Even though CXMT’s DDR4 and DDR5 memory isn’t as performative or as overclockable as that of SK Hynix, Micron, or Samsung, it’s still fast enough, and in a world where capacity is tight, fast enough is good enough. But DDR6 will be more complex to build, so CXMT is reportedly bringing a new manufacturer into its supply chain to leverage its panel-based design.
Haesung DS is a South Korean semiconductor manufacturer with a particular pedigree for package substrates. With DDR6 manufacturing, it is working on a multi-layer design that, with an updated manufacturing technique, will make producing the next-generation standard both efficient and profitable.
Other major memory manufacturers, Samsung and SK-Hynix, are already working on their DDR6 memory designs, so if CXMT does want to compete, it will need to have a product ready for the 2028/2029 launch window. But with the ongoing memory shortage expected to last for several more years at least, CXMT’s market position may change dramatically.
Indeed, it’s already started to make major inroads into the traditional three-horse race of memory chip manufacturing. Where Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron typically control the market as the big three, CXMT’s manufacturing capacity is expected to eclipse Micron’s by the end of the year, though regulatory hurdles could get in the way.
Although Samsung and SK Hynix memory chips will likely be preferred for high-end DDR6 memory, CXMT could easily become a mainstream option for more affordable kits if it can produce sufficient capacity at scale. Indeed, if CXMT makes it clear that it’s focusing on consumer memory types like DDR5 and DDR6 rather than potentially more profitable High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), it may be able to secure long-term contracts with major manufacturers like Apple, which are keen for supply chain stability.