Samsung Electronics showcased AI memory innovations at Future of Memory and Storage 2026 in Santa Clara, California. The company unveiled zHBM and zNAND-O concept models, alongside V10 BV-NAND featuring over 400 layers — the industry's first to use wafer bonding technology. The zHBM architecture vertically stacks memory directly above AI accelerators, promising eight times the performance of HBM5. V10 BV-NAND delivers approximately 58% higher memory density than the previous generation whilst improving read, write, and I/O performance. Samsung also presented its AI memory portfolio, including HBM4E samples already shipped to customers and LPDDR5X-PIM, the industry's first LPDDR memory with processing-in-memory technology. The company displayed approximately 30 memory and storage technologies at the event.

Micron Technology closed at $823 per share on 31 July, down 39% from its yearly high, as South Korean rivals SK Hynix and Samsung plan to spend up to $1.3 trillion combined on new capacity. SanDisk, another US memory maker, has fallen 41% in the past month. The expansion is tied to South Korea's national plan to secure its position in AI-era chip supply. Demand for high bandwidth memory used in AI accelerators has outpaced supply for over a year, a shortage Micron's management does not expect to ease before 2028. Micron trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio near 19.8, with a market capitalisation of about $930 billion. Its next earnings report is due 29 September.

Samsung now expects the global memory shortage to persist through 2028, extending its earlier forecast by a year. During its Q2 2026 earnings call, the company said unfulfilled orders from this year will likely carry over into next, with supply constraints expected to worsen in 2027. Demand from AI data centres remains a major driver. Samsung plans to allocate 60% to 70% of its memory capacity to long-term contracts. Rising chip prices delivered record profits for Samsung's semiconductor business but contributed to a 700 billion won quarterly loss in its mobile division. Apple has already raised MacBook and iPad prices, citing rising memory costs. Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 8 launched with a $100 price increase despite minimal spec changes.