ID :
175991
Mon, 04/18/2011 - 04:52
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https://www.oananews.org//node/175991
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NAND flash memory price hits 7-month high
SEOUL (Yonhap) - Prices of NAND flash memory chips touched a seven-month high in the first half of this month, mirroring gains in other memory chip prices after last month's deadly quake in Japan disrupted supply, industry data showed Monday.
According to Taiwan-based DRAMeXchange Technology Inc., the contract price of the benchmark 16-Gigabit 2Gx8 MLC NAND flash memory stood at US$3.78 in the first half of April, up 1.07 percent from the second half of March.
The price marks the highest level since the first half of September last year when the contract price hit $3.80. Contract prices are announced twice a month.
Prices of NAND flash memory chips, which store data and music files for digital cameras, portable music players and mobile devices, have been trending higher since the second half of February.
Prices of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) also bounced back in the second half of March on expectations that quake-sparked wafer production cuts in Japan will squeeze the global semiconductor supply.
Market experts, however, are divided over the future of the NAND flash memory prices.
Some say that NAND flash memory chip prices may turn downward as the rate of the price increase has slowed. If demand does not catch up with supply, another glut could set in, they warn.
The price of NAND flash memory devices grew 4.57 percent from the second half of February to the first half of March and then increased 2.19 percent more to the second half of the month, according to DRAMeXchange. The price then further rose 1.07 percent to the first half of April.
Others, however, say that the NAND flash memory chips will continue to grow through the second quarter as semiconductor demand will peak during the April-June period and inventories of chip components are expected to be exhausted in Japan and Taiwan, which could spark a supply shortage.
According to Taiwan-based DRAMeXchange Technology Inc., the contract price of the benchmark 16-Gigabit 2Gx8 MLC NAND flash memory stood at US$3.78 in the first half of April, up 1.07 percent from the second half of March.
The price marks the highest level since the first half of September last year when the contract price hit $3.80. Contract prices are announced twice a month.
Prices of NAND flash memory chips, which store data and music files for digital cameras, portable music players and mobile devices, have been trending higher since the second half of February.
Prices of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) also bounced back in the second half of March on expectations that quake-sparked wafer production cuts in Japan will squeeze the global semiconductor supply.
Market experts, however, are divided over the future of the NAND flash memory prices.
Some say that NAND flash memory chip prices may turn downward as the rate of the price increase has slowed. If demand does not catch up with supply, another glut could set in, they warn.
The price of NAND flash memory devices grew 4.57 percent from the second half of February to the first half of March and then increased 2.19 percent more to the second half of the month, according to DRAMeXchange. The price then further rose 1.07 percent to the first half of April.
Others, however, say that the NAND flash memory chips will continue to grow through the second quarter as semiconductor demand will peak during the April-June period and inventories of chip components are expected to be exhausted in Japan and Taiwan, which could spark a supply shortage.
