CXMT Overtakes Tencent as AI Memory Rally Drives 500% Surge

CXMT is China’s largest DRAM producer and a pillar of Beijing’s campaign to reduce reliance on foreign semiconductors under U.S.-led export controls. Its expansion matters because AI servers are driving a shortage of DRAM and high-bandwidth memory, lifting prices and profits across the sector. A stronger Chinese supplier could eventually add capacity and pressure Micron Technology and SK Hynix, while domestic lithography tools could erode ASML’s equipment franchise in China.

CXMT debuted on Shanghai’s STAR Market on July 27, 2026, after raising 57.92 billion yuan ($8.6 billion). The shares closed at 49 yuan, up 466% from the 8.66-yuan offer price, valuing the company at about 3.3 trillion yuan. The Information separately reported limited production of Chinese immersion DUV systems, with five tools targeted for 2026 and about 20 in 2027. Nvidia fell 5%, Micron lost 2.3% and ASML dropped 5.8% in U.S. trading.

ChangXin Memory Technologies, or CXMT, is one of China’s leading DRAM makers and a key part of Beijing’s drive to reduce reliance on foreign semiconductors. Surging investment in generative AI and data centers is lifting demand for memory chips, while Chinese technology companies are turning more heavily to domestic suppliers. That combination gives CXMT an opening to narrow the scale gap with established global rivals including Micron Technology.

CXMT’s first-quarter revenue surged 719% from a year earlier, according to the report, helping the company erase a decade of accumulated losses within six months. The chipmaker has signed supply agreements worth more than $10 billion with ByteDance and Tencent, providing demand for an aggressive capacity expansion. CXMT now aims to surpass Micron in production capacity by 2030, underscoring China’s accelerating challenge to incumbent memory-chip producers.

The adoption of generative AI and expansion of AI data centers have driven a surge in demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Micron have shifted more capacity to HBM, squeezing the supply of general-purpose DRAM. The resulting shortages have displaced price competition and changed the pricing flexibility available to Chinese memory producers.

Information compiled as of July 20, 2026, showed that ChangXin Memory Technologies’ DRAM prices were now close to those of the world’s three largest suppliers. The company has therefore abandoned steep discounts as a way to gain market share, instead raising quotes in line with supply and demand to maximize profits. Reports did not disclose actual prices by product capacity or the dates and scale of the adjustments. The key signal is a clear shift away from low-price strategies among Chinese suppliers.

ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), founded in 2016, is a leading player in China’s push for domestic DRAM production. As AI server and cloud data center expansion drives Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Micron to shift more capacity toward HBM, conventional DRAM supplies are tightening. Tencent’s long-term deal secures upstream supplies and underscores the Chinese technology sector’s need to reduce its reliance on overseas chips.

A June 30, 2026, report said CXMT had signed a long-term supply agreement with Tencent Holdings worth more than RMB 20 billion, or about $2.94 billion. The contract, which runs for about three to five years, will primarily meet demand for server DRAM. The companies have not disclosed the exact signing date or product specifications. The deal is also a major order for CXMT as it prepares for an IPO on Shanghai’s STAR Market.

High-bandwidth memory, or HBM, is a critical component that improves data-transfer efficiency in AI accelerators. The market and advanced technology are currently dominated by South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, along with Micron. China is accelerating the development of a domestic supply chain amid U.S. export restrictions on advanced chips, making CXMT’s ability to mass-produce HBM pivotal to the country’s drive for greater self-sufficiency in AI chips.

As of July 20, 2026, market reports indicated that CXMT had acquired the capability to produce HBM3, narrowing China’s HBM technology gap with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to about three years. CXMT also plans to raise $4 billion through an initial public offering to expand capacity and meet growing Chinese demand for AI chips amid the export controls.