ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China’s leading memory chipmaker, is preparing for a Shanghai initial public offering (IPO) as early as the first quarter of 2026, targeting a valuation of up to 300 billion yuan ($42.1 billion), according to sources familiar with the matter. The listing would mark one of China’s largest tech IPOs in years and a major step in Beijing’s drive for semiconductor self-sufficiency.
Founded in 2016 with state backing, CXMT is China’s main producer of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips — a market long dominated by Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology. The company aims to raise between 20 billion and 40 billion yuan, two sources said, while a third suggested about 30 billion yuan, with a prospectus possibly unveiled in November.
CXMT’s IPO plans come amid a surge in Chinese semiconductor stocks, with the CSI CN Semiconductor Index up nearly 49% this year. The firm has already begun pre-IPO “counselling” procedures with China International Capital Corporation and CSC Financial, both state-backed investment banks.
The proceeds will help finance CXMT’s aggressive push into high bandwidth memory (HBM) — an advanced form of DRAM critical for AI chips and data center processors such as those used in Nvidia’s GPUs. The company is building an HBM packaging plant in Shanghai, targeting initial production by late 2025 and mass output of HBM3 chips by 2026.
CXMT’s expansion is especially vital after U.S. trade restrictions cut off China’s access to advanced HBM chips last year. Analysts at TechInsights estimate the firm’s capital expenditure at $6–7 billion across 2023–2024, with a further 5% increase in 2025. The company’s initial HBM wafer capacity will reach about 30,000 per month, roughly one-fifth that of SK Hynix.
If successful, the IPO could attract heavy domestic investor demand, seen as both a financial opportunity and a patriotic play in China’s race to achieve technological independence.