According to the Nikkei report, China's largest NAND flash memory manufacturer Yangtze Memory Technology Co., Ltd. (YMTC) recently officially launched the construction of its third wafer fab in Wuhan. It is expected to be put into production in 2027 and will simultaneously expand the production capacity of its second factory.
Yangtze Memory has actively promoted technological independence in recent years and continued to overcome key process bottlenecks. After being placed on the U.S. watch list, the company lost advanced U.S.-made equipment and technical support, but it has used domestic equipment manufacturer AMEC to replace imported tools and made breakthroughs in key links such as the etching process. The industry pointed out that the company is further evaluating its entry into the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) field to lay the foundation for entering high bandwidth memory (HBM).
Analysts pointed out that Chinese manufacturers are accelerating memory layout to cope with the huge domestic demand for AI infrastructure and reduce dependence on external supply chains. At present, China's Changxin Memory (CXMT) has achieved the world's fourth market share in the DRAM field, and has shifted from mature DDR4 specifications to mainstream DDR5 technology to support HBM's mass production needs. If Yangtze Memory successfully enters DRAM, it will form a "dual-engine" pattern in China's memory industry and further promote the strategic depth of its independent semiconductor supply chain.
According to statistics from market research agency Omdia, Yangtze Memory’s capital expenditure in 2025 has accounted for approximately 20% of the total global NAND investment. If the expansion progresses smoothly, its global market share in terms of production capacity is expected to reach 10% next year, and it will challenge Micron's position within two years and become the world's fourth largest NAND manufacturer; in terms of revenue market share, the company will account for approximately 5% of the world in the second quarter of 2025.
China’s top memory chip maker YMTC to build 3rd plant, eyeing 2027 start