"Even money can't buy it"! Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix join forces to "restrict sales," strictly preventing downstream stockpiling.

The world's three largest memory chip manufacturers are taking unusual measures to curb customer stockpiling. Faced with ongoing supply shortages, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron have begun strengthening their review of customer orders, requiring disclosure of end-user and order quantity information to ensure genuine demand and prevent excessive hoarding from further disrupting the market.

According to Nikkei Asia on Friday, the three companies have tightened order requirements and implemented stricter monitoring of customer purchasing behavior. This move underscores the severity of the current imbalance in the memory chip market.

A chain reaction of supply constraints is now visible in the consumer electronics sector. Entry-level and mid-range products—including TVs, set-top boxes, home routers, tablets, smartphones, and personal computers—are expected to be hit the hardest. The automotive industry also faces significant pressure, and its longer certification cycles make the problem even more complex.

Soaring memory prices have begun to erode manufacturers' profits. According to TrendForce data, the share of DRAM in the bill of materials cost for TVs has rapidly climbed from the previous 2.5-3% to 6-7%, putting huge pressure on brand profitability. Smaller brands with limited resources are bearing an even heavier burden. Against the backdrop of rising costs and tightened supply, PC makers may also scale back shipments. TrendForce has revised its 2026 laptop shipment forecast downward, from a 5.4% year-on-year decrease to a 9.4% drop.

Manufacturers adjust designs to cope with supply restrictions

In response to the memory chip shortage, manufacturers are seeking alternatives. According to Nikkei, some manufacturers have begun to purchase old inventory from warehouses, dismantling memory chips from these devices and reinstalling them onto other printed circuit boards to reuse components and obtain extra supply. However, this method is limited to secondary markets that can tolerate potential quality issues.

Some PC manufacturers are also adjusting product design strategies. Certain vendors are designing additional memory slots into entry-level models, allowing users to upgrade capacity themselves when needed to ease current supply pressure.

Memory giants’ inventories drop to historic lows

Recently disclosed data from memory chip manufacturers further confirms the tense supply situation. According to Korea Asia Economy, SK Hynix reported that its DRAM inventory dropped sharply year-on-year in the fourth quarter of last year and is expected to decline further in the second half of this year, indicating that customer supply conditions may remain tight for some time. As for NAND flash, SK Hynix noted that inventory—mainly in solid-state drives—has been steadily declining since the second half of last year, and is now at a level similar to DRAM.

According to Korea Economic Daily, Samsung’s DRAM inventory has dropped to about six weeks' worth of supply, roughly half the normal level of 10-12 weeks. As the largest of the three major memory chip manufacturers in terms of production capacity, Samsung is expected to benefit in this supplier-led market.

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