AI storage demand lifts five memory makers’ profits above Big Tech’s for the first time
10/31/2026 — 10/31, 22:18·1 sources (all)·1 reports (all)
Key takeaways
- Nikkei Asia reports that AI investment is driving memory chip demand, with Kioxia, Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron, and SanDisk together posting a…
Background & analysis
On October 31, 2026, IT之家 relayed a report published early that morning by Nikkei Asia, which found that the AI investment boom has driven up demand for memory chips, pushing the market into a supply shortage. Citing QUICK FactSet data, the report noted that in the quarter covering July to September 2026 (June to August for Micron), the five major global memory chipmakers — Kioxia, Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron, and SanDisk — generated a combined operating profit of JPY 32 trillion (about CNY 1.35 trillion at current exchange rates), 10 times the figure from the same period a year earlier. Over the same period, the five major US technology companies — Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Apple — posted a combined operating profit of approximately JPY 25 trillion (about CNY 1.06 trillion), up roughly 20% year on year.
This marks the first time the memory chipmakers' combined quarterly operating and net profit has surpassed that of the five US tech giants. Kioxia stood out within the group: its operating profit for the quarter reached JPY 1.99 trillion (about CNY 84.199 billion), 23 times the year-ago level, while net profit climbed to JPY 1.36 trillion (about CNY 57.543 billion), 33 times higher, giving the company its first-ever quarterly net profit above JPY 1 trillion (about CNY 42.311 billion). The report also cautioned that Apple had not yet released its earnings at the time of writing, so the comparison relied on market forecasts for Apple's figures.
AI-generated from 1 reports · updated 5 days ago
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According to Nikkei Asia, an AI investment boom has pushed memory chip demand past supply, lifting combined quarterly operating profit at Kioxia, Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron and SanDisk to about 32 trillion yen — roughly 10 times a year earlier — and above the roughly 25 trillion yen posted by Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Apple. Kioxia's operating profit was 23 times its year-earlier level and its net profit passed 1 trillion yen for the first time; Apple's figure is a market estimate.
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