Featured Story: Watching the Memory Market

Sunday, 28 October 2007 18:00

Watching the Memory Market

Todd Banker

Supply, demand balanced for NAND discretes…
After price increases in August, NAND flash discrete pricing has slid since the beginning of October – losing about 20% of its value on the spot market during that time. Demand is on the rise as ODMs continue to integrate NAND into new designs, but supply remains sufficient to cover the increased demand.

SLC NAND discretes remain the hardest items to find, whether from chip makers or in the spot market. This is the result of chip makers reducing SLC output in favor of more profitable MLC chips. The May 14, 2007 issue of Smith MarketWatch noted that MLCs were gaining market share due to the option of ‘stacking’ MLCs to gain density. As predicted in that issue, MLCs have been the focal point of NAND chip manufacturing.

A Buyer’s Market on Micro SD Cards…

Demand for Micro SD Cards, especially 1G and 2G cards, has improved the last month as pricing has declined. Micro SD usage has been spurred by the cell phone upgrade market.

DDR2 pricing declines…
1G DDR2 module pricing has been volatile, as previously rumored manufacturer contract price reductions did not occur. This caused spot market prices to rise about 10% over a 3 day period earlier this month, but sales at the higher level were not significant. As a result, spot prices dipped below the previous levels and continue to decline.

Stay up to date on the latest open market memory trends by contacting your Smith & Associates representative or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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