Why are memory chips “cooling down” first even as AI enthusiasm remains strong?
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index plunged 2.67% in a single day, with memory stocks becoming the “epicenter” of this round of AI hardware pullback. SanDisk fell nearly 6%, while Micron dropped nearly 4% to below the 1,000-yuan mark, retreating nearly 20% from its June high and approaching a technical bear market.
The immediate catalyst for this adjustment was the convergence of three shocks. Selling pressure from the post-holiday correction in South Korea was released all at once, while Samsung and SK hynix prematurely terminated buyback plans totaling approximately $40 billion, removing an important source of market support. At the same time, CXMT announced a key breakthrough in 4F² DRAM architecture and plans to launch DDR5 products for the server market by year-end, prompting concerns about the potential impact of Chinese manufacturers on the pricing power of overseas memory giants.
But the real contradiction lies in the divergence between fundamentals and share prices. The memory industry’s fundamentals are arguably the strongest in history—HBM capacity has already sold out in advance, DRAM and NAND inventories have fallen to only about four weeks, and price increases throughout the year have effectively become a foregone conclusion. Morgan Stanley previously raised its price target for Micron sharply from $520 to $1,050, while Citi set a $2,100 price target for SanDisk. However, investors have already turned their attention to 2027–2028: by then, Chinese capacity expansion and new South Korean fabs may come online simultaneously, potentially reversing the supply-demand balance.
This means memory stocks are shifting from a “growth narrative” to “value pricing”—they are not expensive based on current earnings, but the market refuses to pay for the uncertainty surrounding long-term capacity expansion.
SanDisk and Micron each warrant a different focus. SanDisk’s NAND business is more deeply tied to AI data center SSD demand, and supply tightness is expected to persist through 2028, offering relatively clearer medium- to long-term visibility. Micron, meanwhile, faces the dual variables of potential catalysts from HBM contract renegotiations and intensifying DRAM competition, giving it greater upside sensitivity but also more pronounced volatility.
The boundary between short-term profit-taking and valuation reassessment depends on whether the upcoming earnings season can deliver better-than-expected growth guidance. Until the signals become clearer, maintaining disciplined and cautious positioning may be more important than rushing to buy the dip.#闪迪重挫6%存储股收跌
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index plunged 2.67% in a single day, with memory stocks becoming the “epicenter” of this round of AI hardware pullback. SanDisk fell nearly 6%, while Micron dropped nearly 4% to below the 1,000-yuan mark, retreating nearly 20% from its June high and approaching a technical bear market.
The immediate catalyst for this adjustment was the convergence of three shocks. Selling pressure from the post-holiday correction in South Korea was released all at once, while Samsung and SK hynix prematurely terminated buyback plans totaling approximately $40 billion, removing an important source of market support. At the same time, CXMT announced a key breakthrough in 4F² DRAM architecture and plans to launch DDR5 products for the server market by year-end, prompting concerns about the potential impact of Chinese manufacturers on the pricing power of overseas memory giants.
But the real contradiction lies in the divergence between fundamentals and share prices. The memory industry’s fundamentals are arguably the strongest in history—HBM capacity has already sold out in advance, DRAM and NAND inventories have fallen to only about four weeks, and price increases throughout the year have effectively become a foregone conclusion. Morgan Stanley previously raised its price target for Micron sharply from $520 to $1,050, while Citi set a $2,100 price target for SanDisk. However, investors have already turned their attention to 2027–2028: by then, Chinese capacity expansion and new South Korean fabs may come online simultaneously, potentially reversing the supply-demand balance.
This means memory stocks are shifting from a “growth narrative” to “value pricing”—they are not expensive based on current earnings, but the market refuses to pay for the uncertainty surrounding long-term capacity expansion.
SanDisk and Micron each warrant a different focus. SanDisk’s NAND business is more deeply tied to AI data center SSD demand, and supply tightness is expected to persist through 2028, offering relatively clearer medium- to long-term visibility. Micron, meanwhile, faces the dual variables of potential catalysts from HBM contract renegotiations and intensifying DRAM competition, giving it greater upside sensitivity but also more pronounced volatility.
The boundary between short-term profit-taking and valuation reassessment depends on whether the upcoming earnings season can deliver better-than-expected growth guidance. Until the signals become clearer, maintaining disciplined and cautious positioning may be more important than rushing to buy the dip.#闪迪重挫6%存储股收跌
