# Cars become the next memory chip battleground > Source: > Published: 2026-07-15 06:21:58+00:00 Samsung, SK hynix, Micron race to dominate automotive memory as AI drives demand, tightens supply The auto industry is emerging as the memory chip sector's next major growth market. The three companies that dominate global supply — Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Micron Technology — are now moving to claim leadership in a segment whose economics have shifted sharply under AI-driven demand. The scale of memory put into a modern car has started to resemble that of a laptop or desktop computer more than a traditional vehicle. Industry analysts estimate that the infotainment system in Mercedes-Benz's MB.OS platform uses 4 to 12 gigabytes of DRAM, while the cockpit computing system in BMW's new iX3 electric SUV runs on 16 to 24 gigabytes. Both figures cover only the dashboard side of the vehicle; premium configurations that integrate self-driving computers can push total vehicle DRAM close to 70 gigabytes. The trajectory is steeper still. Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said on the company's June 24 earnings call that vehicles with Level 2+ autonomy or higher carry more than five times the combined memory and storage content of an average car. Micron expects L2+ vehicles to exceed 20 percent of sales in 2026 and 40 percent by 2030, based on its own estimates. Supply for some automotive-grade parts is already tight. Market researcher TrendForce said Monday that contract prices for single-level cell NAND, a durable flash used in electronic control units and driver-assistance systems, are projected to rise 120 to 170 percent in the second half of 2026, with further increases possible. Chipmakers are steering older production lines toward more profitable products, and automakers cannot easily swap in a new memory part without months of retesting to meet safety standards. The competitive picture at the top of the market has changed as well. Samsung overtook Micron in automotive memory last year for the first time since entering the segment in 2015, according to a report from S&P Global Mobility in May. Samsung's share rose to 40 percent from 35 percent in 2024, while Micron's fell to 36 percent from 40 percent. The Korean company's gains were led by low-power DRAM and universal flash storage sales into fast-growing Chinese electric-vehicle platforms. SK hynix is pushing on certification and next-generation products. It said in January that its automotive LPDDR5X received ASIL-D certification, the highest functional-safety grade under the ISO 26262 standard, from TUV SUD. At Mobile World Congress in March, it unveiled an automotive LPDDR6 built on its 1c-node process, alongside Auto UFS 3.1, eMMC 5.1 and vehicle SSDs. Micron has moved on the customer side. It signed long-term supply agreements with General Motors on July 1 and Ford on July 6, though neither disclosed contract length or volume. Reuters called the GM deal a preemptive supply-security measure and cited S&P Global Mobility data showing automotive DRAM prices have risen roughly 70 percent since December. Micron's automotive and embedded segment posted record revenue of $4.6 billion, or about 6.86 trillion won, last quarter. "Delivering next-generation vehicles at scale requires a resilient and closely aligned supply chain," GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra said in a statement. The macro backdrop tightens the stakes. SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung told Reuters on Friday that 2027 would be the worst year for memory supply in the industry's history, with customer demand likely to outstrip his company's production capacity beyond 2030. AI server buildouts have absorbed much of the industry's advanced DRAM capacity, and long validation cycles limit how quickly automakers can switch suppliers when conditions change. mjh@heraldcorp.com