China’s memory duopoly is dissolving from both ends. YMTC, the NAND leader, sent low-power DRAM samples to customers in April. Its rival is now answering in kind.
Flash is the new target for CXMT, the country’s largest DRAM maker. A research-grade line is planned for the newest site in its home city, Reuters reported on September 18, citing three people familiar with the matter.
An institute in the same city, already established, runs projects covering flash development. Talks with potential buyers are under way as well, including with a recently formed startup keen to purchase the output.
How far the effort reaches is unknown. CXMT has not said when the line might produce wafers, and moving from pilot work to commercial scale is a separate hurdle. The company did not answer a request for comment.
Conditions favor the attempt. AI servers soak up far more flash than ordinary machines, and the big manufacturers have pushed capital spending toward DRAM and high-bandwidth memory, leaving NAND capacity short.
Flash prices have risen since the second half of 2025. Analysts do not expect relief before the back end of 2027.
For CXMT, NAND diversifies a product line that still trails Samsung, SK hynix and Micron by a wide margin in DRAM, and opens another route to Chinese customer orders.
