Hynix Semiconductor aims at No. 2 slot in mobile DRAM market

SEOUL, March 26 (Yonhap) -- Hynix Semiconductor, the world's second-largest
chipmaker, will try to achieve the No. 2 slot in the mobile DRAM market this
year, its chief executive said Thursday.
"Mobile DRAM has higher added value than any other kind of DRAM," Hynix
Semiconductor CEO Kim Jong-kap said in a message to an annual shareholders
meeting. "Our market share in the world's mobile DRAM market was 12 percent last
year. We aim to raise it up to 24 percent and become the No. 2 mobile DRAM
maker."
Mobile DRAM is a form of memory chip that is used in mobile devices like digital
cameras, MP3 players and cell phones.
Mobile DRAM production worldwide is led by Samsung Electronics Co., followed by
Japan's Elpida Memory Inc. Hynix ranks at No. 3.
Referring to the company's NAND flash memory technology, Kim said Hynix will
close the gap on its competitors, such as Samsung Electronics and Toshiba.
"Our technology might fall behind of that of our competitors, but we will narrow
the gap soon as we expect to finish development of the 41-nanometer technology in
a day or two. We will also be able to be more competitive in the 32-nanometer
class technology," Kim said. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.
NAND flash memory is a non-volatile computer memory that can be electrically
erased and reprogrammed, primarily used in memory cards and drives for general
storage and transfer of data between computers and other digital products.
Samsung Electronics is reported to have retained its dominant position as the
leading NAND flash supplier last year with a some 40 percent in the second
quarter with revenue of $1.4 billion - a 42.3 percent share of the market.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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