Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron's Memory Hoarding Crackdown: A Supply Chain Gamble
Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are playing memory cops in a high-stakes game of supply chain chess—will this crackdown on hoarding save the industry or just delay the next crash?
The three memory makers are jointly investigating customers to prevent excessive stockpiling, according to Nikkei Asia.
Customers will now be required to disclose order volumes and end-user destinations. This immediate transparency could accelerate price increases in the short term but aims to stabilize long-term supply chains.
The 2022 demand crash serves as a cautionary tale. After pandemic-era overstocking, memory sales plummeted by 30%. This time, the companies are wary of repeating history.
New fabrication lines from all three firms are slated for 2027-2028, a timeline that could either validate their current strategy or expose its flaws.
"This isn’t some theorized scenario, either. It’s already happened, which is why Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are twice shy about increasing production."
