ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) saw its shares skyrocket 466% on their first day of trading on Shanghai’s STAR Market, propelling the DRAM manufacturer to become China’s most valuable publicly listed company. The stock closed at 49 yuan, well above the IPO price of 8.66 yuan per share, after raising 57.92 billion yuan (approximately $8.6 billion) in the largest Asian IPO of 2026.
The massive rally valued CXMT at over 3.2 trillion yuan ($487 billion), surpassing Industrial and Commercial Bank of China as the largest A-share company. Full-day turnover exceeded 140 billion yuan, as investors scrambled to trade the newly listed shares. Only about 6.73% of CXMT’s total shares were available for trading on the debut, limiting supply and concentrating demand on a small free float.
Theodore Shou, CEO of Yiyi Capital, expressed confidence in CXMT’s potential to become a global memory chip leader but cautioned that the market may be near a ‘short-term peak’ in memory-cycle sentiment. He noted that large first-day gains are more common among smaller companies, and questioned whether the current margins and enthusiasm could be sustained.
DRAM Market Position and Expansion Plans
CXMT is China’s leading producer of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips used in smartphones, computers, servers, and other electronics. It ranks fourth globally behind Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology, holding 7.67% of the global DRAM market in 2025 based on fourth-quarter sales, according to its prospectus. By chip volume, its share was near 9%.
The company plans to direct most of its IPO proceeds toward memory wafer production, equipment upgrades, and research projects to increase output and develop more advanced memory products. Morningstar noted, however, that restricted access to leading manufacturing equipment still limits the pace of its technology development.
Revenue Surge Driven by AI Demand
CXMT reported first-quarter revenue of 50.8 billion yuan, up 719% year-over-year, and net profit of 33.01 billion yuan, reversing a 2.83 billion yuan loss in the same period last year. The improvement was driven by higher DRAM prices, increased sales volumes, and a better product mix.
Demand from artificial intelligence systems and data centers has tightened the global memory market, while China promotes locally produced chips for major technology projects. Apple has reportedly started testing CXMT memory for devices sold in China, and Morningstar expects domestic internet companies to increase their use of CXMT chips as China expands its AI infrastructure.
Despite the optimism, Morningstar sees a technology gap with global memory leaders and expects new industry capacity from late 2027 to ease supply pressure, potentially normalizing profitability. Shou added that investors had already started selling into the IPO, signaling caution about near-term market conditions.
CXMT forecasts first-half revenue between 110 billion yuan and 120 billion yuan, and parent-company net profit between 50 billion yuan and 57 billion yuan, citing continued memory demand, higher prices, and increasing sales.
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