The 2026 NVIDIA Global Technology Conference (GTC) has transcended its origins as a developer forum to become the ultimate proving ground for the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) industry.

As generative AI advances into the inference and agentic AI stages, global demand for AI computing power is entering a new surge. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang outlined during his keynote at GTC 2026 that AI development has officially shifted from early model training to an era centered on inference and autonomous agents. He significantly raised Nvidia's forecast for the AI infrastructure market size, estimating that related demand will double and surpass US$1 trillion between 2025 and 2027.

Samsung Electronics has released comprehensive operational data for fiscal 2025, revealing a complex picture of shifting raw material costs and high production efficiency. Despite rising prices for essential smartphone components, the company maintained full capacity across its semiconductor and display divisions to meet global demand.

Samsung Electronics' semiconductor division is concerned that the current memory supercycle, driven by supply shortages, could last only one to two years before the market turns downward again, according to a ChosunBiz report. Uncertainty surrounding demand forecasts following a surge in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure investment is complicating decisions on expanding production capacity.

At the Nvidia GTC 2026 conference, Micron Technology signaled a major push in the AI hardware race, announcing high-volume production of memory and storage components purpose-built for Nvidia's next-generation "Vera Rubin" ecosystem.

As demand for memory chips in AI data centers continues to surge, the global "RAMaggedon" has now claimed another unwitting victim: the gaming industry. The sector is now feeling the brunt of the memory chip shortage, which has driven up hardware costs and, in turn, hindered both innovation in game development and gamer experience.

Supply disruptions in low-capacity eMMC are driving sharp price increases for SLC and MLC NAND as major global memory manufacturers exit older production nodes. Contract prices for MLC NAND doubled in the first quarter of 2026 and could double again in the second quarter, as any newly released capacity is quickly absorbed by customers amid persistent shortages.

Samsung Electronics outlined the full range of AI computing technologies it will present at Nvidia GTC 2026 in San Jose, California, March 16-19, highlighting memory, logic, foundry, and advanced packaging products aimed at supporting AI infrastructure, on-device intelligence, and manufacturing digitization.

Despite a short-term market adjustment and price softening before the Lunar New Year holidays, the memory sector saw contract price increases significantly reflected in first quarter 2026 results. Taiwanese memory manufacturers posted leapfrogging revenue growth in the first two months of 2026, with many setting new records.

South Korea's largest job platform Saramin has named SK Hynix the top "most desired large company" for the first time, displacing perennial leader Samsung Electronics. The shift reflects the explosive growth of the AI chip market and its growing influence on job seekers' priorities.

As AI boosts demand for computing power, IC distributor WPG Holdings reports a significant rise in the share of computing products, which have become its main revenue driver. However, the ongoing memory shortage is expected to persist until 2027 before easing. While this may suppress demand in consumer markets like smartphones and notebooks, shipments of AI-enabled phones and AI notebooks are projected to grow in 2026.

Memory design IC company Elite Semiconductor Microelectronics Technology (ESMT) reported a fourth-quarter 2025 profit of NT$1.033 billion (US$32.5 million), up 394.75% year-on-year and the highest quarterly level in four years, helping the company return to profitability for the full year. Chairman M.C. Chang said that this memory cycle is the most intense in the past 30 years. Contract prices in the first half of 2026 are expected to rise by at least multiples, and the benefits from price increases are still only in the early stages of the uptrend. Therefore, the top priority this year will be securing additional production capacity from partners.

DRAM and NAND flash prices have soared by as much as 180% since the Lunar New Year, amid worsening memory chip supply shortages that are expected to persist at least until late 2027. Industry analysts point to a fundamental shift in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market competition — from market share to profitability — as conditions tighten.

The chip market is facing a wave of price increases, with IDM companies issuing hike notices and foundries preparing to raise prices for the 8-inch wafer process amid current supply-demand dynamics. Many IC design houses see this as an opportunity to push customers to adopt the relatively advanced 12-inch process, highlighting its overall cost-effectiveness compared to 8-inch under today's cost environment.

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES stories from the week of Mar 9-15, 2026:

Micron Technology said it has completed the acquisition and assumed ownership of Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation's P5 site in Tongluo, Miaoli County, Taiwan, under the agreement first announced on January 17, 2026. The company said the site will serve as an extension of its vertically integrated mega campus in Taichung, located about 15 miles away, and will complement its existing operations in Taiwan.

Asus said it exceeded revenue and profit targets in 2025 while forecasting a 10-15% decline in global PC shipments for 2026, and it has secured longer-term deals with memory suppliers to mitigate supply tightness expected to persist for at least 2 more years. The company projects near-flat or better shipment performance relative to an overall market contraction.

AI-driven demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) is pushing Taiwanese memory suppliers toward lower-power, high-bandwidth alternatives. Nanya Technology Corp. (NTC) said its Ultra Wide I/O (UWIO) memory has begun generating revenue, with several customers entering specification design and pilot production. The company is working with more than a dozen global clients.

Facing ongoing DRAM shortages and widespread capacity constraints, chipmaker Winbond has raised the price of its 4Gb DDR3 chips to match that of equivalent DDR4 products. The company is rapidly increasing DDR4's share to 60-70% of output, with small shipments of 16nm 8Gb DDR4 already underway and sales growth expected in the second quarter of 2026.

China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has issued a rare monitoring report warning that rising memory prices are spreading across the electronics supply chain as tight supply and strong demand push up DRAM and NAND flash prices.

Increasing prices for memory and storage components are reshaping the global PC market, with research firms warning that low-end computing devices will face severe cost pressure. Major brands are being forced to adjust production priorities, while Chromebooks, which are targeted primarily at the education market and operating on thin margins, are expected to be hit the hardest.

Samsung Electronics is reportedly planning to adopt a 2-nanometer (nm) process for the base die of its next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM), HBM4E, aiming to enhance its technological competitiveness. Industry experts see this as part of Samsung's broader strategy to leverage its advantage as a leading integrated device manufacturer (IDM) in the global AI semiconductor race.

Samsung has reportedly secured an order to supply 12GB LPDDR5X DRAM for Apple's first foldable iPhone, negotiating a sharply higher price than in previous memory contracts.