Shares of Micron Technology (MU 5.64%) rose 45.4% in January 2026, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The memory-chip maker didn't even report earnings last month. Instead, Micron's fortunes are surging due to skyrocketing memory prices. Artificial intelligence (AI) giants are buying as much high-speed memory as the chipmakers can produce, and are willing to pay top dollar for these crucial number-crunching tools.
NASDAQ: MU
Key Data Points
The AI memory crunch is real
The memory shortage isn't exactly new, but the market is only growing tighter.
In December's Q1 2026 earnings call, Micron's management explained that the high bandwidth memory (HBM) it will make in 2026 had already sold out before the new year even started. HBM is the best memory type for AI servers, because it's basically a memory skyscraper; stacking chips vertically lets data flow way faster while sipping less power, which is exactly what you need when your AI accelerators are drinking data from a digital firehose.
Micron is one of the three market-defining providers of HBM modules, and is gaining market share against South Korean rivals Samsung (SSNL.F +55.02%) and SK Hynix. Therefore, Micron's HBM sales are generating record sales and strong profits.
But the real surge is still ahead. The average analyst expects Micron's annual earnings to quadruple next year, making the current near-record bottom line look meager in comparison. That's how you inspire a record-breaking stock price surge on top of a quick sprint.
Image source: Micron Technology.
Micron is going all-in on HBM
Micron is pulling lots of levers to make the most of the HBM opportunity. The company is building more manufacturing facilities and changing the product mix going through its existing factories. For example, Micron is closing down the long-running consumer brand named Crucial in February so the company can make more HBM chips instead.
And those in-house chip-making facilities are a significant business advantage. Without them, Micron would have to rely on the same third-party chip manufacturing services that are already packed to the limit with AI accelerator orders. In all fairness, Samsung also controls its own manufacturing destiny, being one of the largest chip foundries on the market today. Let's just call Micron's memory factories crucial to the business model.
As of this writing on Feb. 3, Micron's stock has gained 80% in two months and 303% in six months. Yet, the stock still looks downright cheap when you account for its expected hypergrowth. Shares are changing hands at 9.7 times forward earnings estimates, and the price to earnings to growth ratio (PEG) is just 0.13 today. As a reminder, a fair valuation should result in PEG ratios near 1.0. You can't get much lower than Micron's reading, unless you break the math with negative earnings estimates.
In other words, Micron's growth rocket seems to have plenty of fuel left. Micron stock may be one of the best ways to invest in the AI boom today.
