Micron Reports 21% Q1 Revenue Growth and 57% Gross Margin on Sold-Out HBM Capacity

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Micron delivered 21% sequential revenue growth and a 57% gross margin in Q1 2026, up 17 percentage points year-on-year, driven by explosive HBM demand. The company has sold out its HBM capacity for 2025 and 2026 under fixed-price agreements, underpinning robust forward guidance.

1. Samsung Electronics Reports Advances in HBM4 Development

Samsung Electronics announced significant progress in its next-generation high-bandwidth memory chips, HBM4, during its recent technology briefing. The company revealed that multiple key customers in AI training and high-performance computing applications have evaluated prototype samples and provided positive feedback on bandwidth performance and power efficiency. Samsung indicated that HBM4 modules have demonstrated up to 2.2 terabytes per second of aggregate bandwidth in lab tests—an improvement of roughly 35% over its predecessor—and achieved a 20% reduction in energy per bit. The company plans to begin volume production in the first half of 2025 and has earmarked an additional KRW 1.8 trillion for capacity expansion at its Pyeongtaek memory fabrication campus to meet anticipated demand in data center and supercomputing markets.

2. Micron Sees Surging Demand Fueling HBM Margin Expansion

Micron Technology reported a robust performance in its HBM business during the fiscal first quarter of 2026, driven by explosive demand from leading AI chip makers. The memory specialist posted sequential revenue growth of 21% in its High Bandwidth Memory segment, while gross margins for that division rose to 57%, up 17 percentage points year-over-year. Micron stated that it has fully allocated its HBM production capacity for both 2025 and 2026 under fixed-volume supply agreements, providing clear visibility into future sales. Management raised its HBM shipment guidance by 15% for the calendar year and reiterated a buy rating, citing sustained order momentum from cloud service providers and AI hardware manufacturers seeking high-throughput memory solutions.

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