Sandisk Is Up 613% in 2026 and Micron Isn't Far Behind. Which AI Memory Stock Has More Room to Run?

SNDK has surged 613% in 2026, while MU has climbed 272%, both riding demand for AI data center memory. The gap between them is the story: SNDK's run looks pricing-driven rather than volume-driven, which raises questions about how long the gains can hold.

The Motley Fool's comparison favors MU for staying power. MU sells both NAND and DRAM, giving it a broader product base than SNDK. It also has a custom high-bandwidth memory partnership with NVDA, a named catalyst that ties MU directly to AI infrastructure spending. The article points to stronger long-term growth potential for MU.

Interpretation: a 613% move built mostly on price is more exposed if pricing cools, since volume growth isn't there to absorb the hit. MU's smaller 272% gain, paired with diversified memory exposure and the NVDA tie-up, reads as the steadier setup. That is analytical framing of the source's argument, not a forecast.

Both names have already delivered outsized returns, so the debate now centers on which has more room left rather than whether the AI memory theme is real. The source's answer is MU.