China’s CXMT begins mass production of G5 DRAM platform

China's largest DRAM manufacturer, Changxin Memory Technologies, announced Sunday that its fifth-generation technology platform has entered mass production, a milestone that narrows the gap between Chinese chipmakers and the three companies that have long dominated the global memory market.

Closing the Technology Gap

CXMT Vice President Luo Xiaodong made the announcement at the 2026 World Manufacturing Convention in Hefei, telling attendees that the company's manufacturing process has reached a level comparable to those used by the industry's leaders. "Our process capability is now on par with the most advanced mass-produced nodes out there in the industry," Luo said, according to Reuters.reuters+1

The G5 platform uses a technique called quadruple patterning to reduce the spacing of key data-storing structures to 11.95 nanometers. While Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix ↗ 2.78% currently manufacture DRAM at roughly 10-nanometer nodes, CXMT's achievement brings it closer than any Chinese competitor has come before.scmp+1

The platform produces at least 50 percent more gross chip dies per wafer than its predecessor, improving both cost efficiency and energy performance, according to the company. CXMT also unveiled two 24-gigabit LPDDR5X chips built on the G5 platform, each holding 50 percent more data than equivalent products from the prior generation. Both are already in mass production and shipping to Chinese smartphone makers, the company said.whbl+2

A Shifting Market

CXMT's rise has already reshaped global DRAM market dynamics. According to Counterpoint Research data, the company reached roughly 10 percent of global DRAM revenue by Q2 2026, up from about 3 percent a year earlier. That growth has come partly at the expense of the incumbent trio: Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology ↗ 5.12% collectively held approximately 87 to 90 percent of the market in the same period, down from levels that had consistently exceeded 90 percent for over a decade.pccentral+3

Beijing's Semiconductor Ambitions

CXMT said it developed the G5 platform through computer simulations and joint work with domestic chip-equipment makers, a detail that underscores Beijing's broader push to reduce reliance on foreign semiconductor technology. The company, which listed on Shanghai's STAR market earlier this year, did not disclose which equipment suppliers it worked with.thenews

Industry leaders Samsung and SK Hynix are meanwhile racing ahead on high-bandwidth memory for artificial intelligence applications, a segment where CXMT has yet to compete. Whether CXMT's claimed parity holds up to independent verification remains to be seen, but the trajectory is clear: the era of unchallenged dominance by the top three DRAM makers is under pressure.reuters+1