Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top memory chipmaker, and smaller local rival SK hynix Inc. saw their combined share of the global dynamic random access memory

(DRAM) market reach an all-time high of 69.7 percent in the third quarter, industry data showed Sunday.

According to the data compiled by market researcher DRAMeXchange, the third-quarter market share of Samsung and SK hynix was up 1.7 percentage points from the previous quarter. It was also slightly up from the previous record of 69.6 percent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2012.

The figure was well above the 24.2 percent combined market share for U.S. companies and the 6.1 percent for Taiwanese competitors.

Samsung Electronics accounted for 41.7 percent of the global DRAM market in the July-September period to rank first among the world's major chipmakers, with SK hynix grabbing a 26.5 percent share.

Micron Technology of the U.S. ranked third with a 23.7 percent share. Taiwan's Nanya Technologies, Winbond Electronics and Powerchip Technology held onto their combined market share of 5.9 percent, according to DRAMeXchange.

Industry watchers expect the combined market share of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to rise above the 70 percent mark after the fourth quarter thanks to their increased productivity. (Yonhap)