The global memory market is being gripped by its most severe shortage and price surge in years, one driven by structural shifts rather than the familiar boom-and-bust cycles of the past. Industry executives across the supply chain say the disruption could persist until 2027.

SK Hynix has reportedly placed a new order for thermal compression (TC) bonders with Singapore-based ASMPT as it accelerates preparations for HBM4, underscoring both the strategic importance of advanced packaging equipment and rising complexity in the TC bonder supply chain amid a patent dispute between South Korean rivals Hanmi Semiconductor and Hanwha Semitech. The move reflects SK Hynix's broader push to diversify critical equipment suppliers while aligning with Nvidia's next-generation AI roadmap.

NetApp Taiwan general manager Peter Chu said the transition from early AI experimentation to agentic AI running mission-critical workloads is creating unprecedented demands on data complexity, scale, and security, while presenting significant opportunities for NetApp. He remains optimistic about the company's 2026 trajectory and noted that global memory shortages have not affected its operations.