Micron rose 273% inside the big chip ETFs, and Samsung sits in a $26.1 billion fund
In September 2026, Micron was up 273% for the year inside semiconductor ETFs SOXX and SMH, while the Roundhill Memory ETF held $26.1 billion, with Samsung and SK hynix just under half the fund.
Key takeaways
Through Tuesday, September 29, Micron's shares had gained 273% this year and Nvidia's 22%, and both are held by the two biggest semiconductor ETFs.
VanEck Semiconductor ETF SMH holds chip makers and the firms that supply their tools. Nvidia is 19.3% of it, and Micron is 4.9%. The iShares Semiconductor ETF SOXX holds the 30 largest US-listed chip companies, and Micron is 8% of that fund.
On Tuesday, June 2, World Semiconductor Trade Statistics forecast memory sales of $803.9 billion in 2026, a gain of 249.5% from $230.0 billion. It put the whole chip market at $1.511 trillion. In that forecast, memory goes from less than a third of chip sales to more than half.
On Monday, August 3, after memory sales in the first half rose 305%, the same group marked memory's growth for the year up to 302%.
SOXX charges 0.33% and held $48.3 billion as of Tuesday. At each quarterly rebalance, its index limits the five largest stocks to 8% and the rest to 4%. American depositary receipts in the index are capped as a group at 10%. Intel is now the largest position, at 9.4%, and AMD is 9.3%, both past the 8% line that applies when the index resets. Nvidia is 7.5%.
SMH charges 0.35% and holds $74.8 billion across 26 stocks. It tracks an index of large US-listed companies, so the biggest names take the biggest weights, and Nvidia at 19.3% is that rule in one holding.
Micron, Intel and AMD, up 273%, 214% and 184% in price through Tuesday, are 8%, 9.4% and 9.3% of SOXX.
Nvidia's price rose 22% over the same span. Under the quarterly cap, Nvidia is 7.5% of SOXX. In SMH it is still 19.3%, and the room that cap frees in SOXX sits in Micron, Intel and AMD.
State Street's SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF XSD charges 0.35% to track a modified equal-weight index, and it holds about $3.1 billion. The weights are spread across 48 stocks, so Micron is 2.4% of the fund. Through Tuesday, with dividends included, XSD had gained 65.0%, near SMH at 68.5% and behind SOXX at 88.8%.
Samsung is the stake the big funds skip
The Roundhill Memory ETF DRAM is where Samsung sits, with a much larger stake in SK hynix beside it. It launched on Thursday, April 2. Roundhill picks the portfolio, and it charges 0.65% a year. It holds $26.1 billion.
The mandate covers high-bandwidth memory, standard memory, flash memory, and hard disk drives. The fund can own shares or swaps, contracts that pay a stock's gain without holding the shares. No company is supposed to exceed 25% when the weights are set. Roundhill rebalances at least every three months, and its prospectus says the fund does not actively trade between those rebalances.
Counting shares and swaps together, Micron is 26.5%, Samsung is 25.1%, and SK hynix is 22.3%.
Samsung and SK hynix are just under half of DRAM
- Micron 26.5%
- Samsung 25.1%
- SK hynix 22.3%
- Others 21%
- CXMT 5.1%
Samsung and SK hynix are Korean listings.
SMH and SOXX own SK hynix only as a US-listed ADR, at 4.5% and 3.1%. Neither owns Samsung. The returns below include dividends. DRAM's runs from the April 2 launch, and the other two run from the start of the year through Tuesday.
The portfolio also holds hard-drive makers, which the mandate includes, and a swap on CXMT, a Chinese memory maker. In its shareholder report for Tuesday, June 30, Roundhill said Treasury bills were held for cash and collateral management.
From the April 2 launch through Tuesday, DRAM gained 120.8%, dividends included. Over those same days SOXX gained 67.3% and SMH gained 54.7%. Micron itself gained 191%. The memory fund beat both broad chip funds and trailed Micron, its largest holding.
DRAM touched $81.34 on Monday, June 22, and it has since fallen about a quarter from that high. SMH was about 10% below its high of the past year. Roundhill said on Monday, April 20 that the fund had passed $1 billion in 10 trading days. On Wednesday, June 24, two days after the high, it said the fund had passed $20 billion. By Tuesday, June 30, its report showed $26.1 billion in net assets, the amount the fund holds now.
A holder of SOXX or SMH already owns the Micron year. Samsung sits in the fund that had already reached this size by June 30.
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Frequently asked questions
How did Micron do inside the big chip ETFs this year?
Through September 29, Micron's shares rose 273% in price, against 22% for Nvidia; Micron is 8% of SOXX and 4.9% of SMH.
Do the big semiconductor ETFs own Samsung?
Neither SMH nor SOXX owns Samsung; they hold SK hynix only as a US-listed ADR, at 4.5% and 3.1%.
What does the $26.1 billion memory fund hold?
Counting shares and swaps, the Roundhill Memory ETF holds Micron at 26.5%, Samsung at 25.1%, and SK hynix at 22.3%.
How has that memory fund done since launch?
From its April 2 launch through Tuesday, it gained 120.8% with dividends, while SOXX gained 67.3% and SMH gained 54.7% over those same days.
