After Micron's greedy decision, SK Hynix could also exit consumer DRAM and NAND business
The consumer memory market is in a pretty rough state. Low DRAM supply from major memory makers has not only resulted in higher RAM prices for the DIY market; consumer electronics like laptops and GPUs are also set to suffer. As if that wasn’t enough, Micron announced in December 2025 that it will stop selling consumer DRAM in February. So come February 2026, the long-standing Crucial-branded RAM and SSDs will be discontinued.
Micron’s greed seems to have inspired SK Hynix, as the company might also exit the consumer DRAM and NAND business, according to a rumor shared by Jukan on X. Unlike Micron, SK Hynix doesn’t sell RAM and storage under a brand name. So, SK Hynix’s exit from the RAM and storage market will affect third-party RAM/SSD makers, as well as consumer hardware OEMs like Dell.
Moreover, SK Hynix is among the world’s biggest, if not the biggest, supplier of consumer DRAM and NAND storage. So, if the company does exit the consumer business, it will be a tremendous hit to the overall market.
On the flip side, SK Hynix’s exit will make Samsung the biggest memory and NAND supplier worldwide. This will also be a golden opportunity for Chinese firms like CXMT to solidify their presence on the global stage. HP, for instance, is reportedly already turning to CMXT for its DRAM needs.
While SK Hynix exiting the consumer market is only a rumor at this point, one without any substantiation, the fact that such rumors are making rounds is enough to confirm how bad things have gotten. With estimations suggesting that things aren’t going to normalize until 2028, one can do nothing else but pray.
Source(s)
Jukan on X, Tom's Hardware, Teaser image source: Timrael on Pixabay, SK Hynix, edited
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