2HAug NAND Flash contract price affected by mixed market factors

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: The 2HAugust NAND Flash contract price remains flat for high density products, while mild rise for low density products since output portion based on 4Xnm & 3Xnm advanced process technologies increases and reducing output portion for low density products based on mature process technologies, says DRAMeXchange.

Meanwhile, NAND Flash suppliers’ low-capacity memory card shipment to the handset customers has a higher priority. Therefore, low density NAND Flash contract price for 2HAugust shows a mild rise pattern.

Despite the increasing output portion from advanced technology for high density MLC NAND Flash and weaker procurement demand for memory card and UFD customers in August, 2HAugust high density NAND Flash contract price still remains flat since hot season restock orders used in high-capacity handset and MP3 products will keep warming up in 3Q09, according to DRAMeXchange.

Fig. 1: 32Gb MLC NAND Flash contract price trendSource: DRAMeXchange, August 2009

Given the expected recovering restock demand from electronics system and memory card customers starting from September for China Holidays in early October and year-end hot season in US & Europe, the 3Q quarter-end effect and increasing output portion of 3xnm process technologies from most NAND Flash suppliers after August will partially offset the positive market factors.

DRAMeXchange states that the NAND Flash contract price may continue to partly demonstrate mild rise and partly stay stable in the short term under the interaction effect of positive and negative market factors.

Fig. 2: 16Gb MLC NAND Flash contract price trendSource: DRAMeXchange, August 2009