1HJuly mainstream MLC NAND Flash contract price slightly drops 1-5pc

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: End-customer’s purchase willingness in early July is cautious since July is traditionally regarded as the slow season for NAND Flash main products such as memory card and UFD.

Inventory level for some card makers is still above one month. NAND Flash vendors slightly lower mainstream MLC NAND Flash contract price to enhance the purchase volume. Therefore, 1HJuly contract price of mainstream MLC NAND Flash slightly decreased 1-5 percent, says DRAMeXchange.

The 16Gb MLC average contract price has dropped 7 percent to $4 in 1HJuly from $4.3 in May, while 32Gb MLC average contract price has decreased 12 percent to $6.64 in 1HJuly from $7.56 during the same period.

The 32Gb MLC contract price showed the bigger downward pricing trend since most vendors already migrated to more advanced process technologies to produce high-density products. Therefore, price cut in promotion for 32Gb MLC was larger than 16Gb MLC over the past two months, according to DRAMeXchange.

Benefited from hot sales of iPhone 3GS and the new smartphone models launched, NAND Flash suppliers eagerly seek to increase the shipment portion of electronic system maker customers in their product mix to ease the slow season effects by memory card and UFD to improve profitability and stabilize market price.

On the other hand, end-customers urge suppliers to further offer some price discount to help them stimulate the market demand in light of the slow season effect, higher inventory level at hand and cost-down efforts of suppliers’ process technology upgrade.

Buyers and suppliers have different opinions toward the short-term market view and pricing trend and inventory replenishment for year-end hot reason is expected to warm up in August.

The NAND market may continue to show the tug-of-war status in July due to dissimilar positive & negative market factors perceived and expected by both sides. Therefore, the NAND Flash contract price is likely to somewhat soften or stay flat in the short term.Source: DRAMeXchange

DRAM contract prices to rise 10-15 percent MoM in May

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Sources indicate that the biggest DRAM spot market suppliers, Powerchip and Elpida, have stopped shipping chips to the spot market, resulting in tighter supply, says DRAMeXchange. Therefore, DDR2 1Gb spot prices have stayed strong at US$1.2. Meanwhile, marketers expect to see the prices move towards US$1.5 by end of June.

According to DRAMeXchange’s survey, DRAM contract price, the “low” in May is expected to move to the range of US$9-US$10 per GB from the US$8 to US$8.5 per GB in April, up roughly 15 percent MoM. Some DRAM makers are even aggressively setting the target up to US$12 or US$13 per GB for May. The tier-one PC OEMs expect to see a mild growth, while the tier-two or tier-three PC OEMs may be forced to accept US$11-US$12 per GB price in May, DRAM makers indicated.

DRAMeXchange notes that the PC shipment growth in February, March and April reached 3.1 percent, 16.8 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively. The better than expected PC shipment helped consume PC OEMs' DRAM inventory.

As DRAM makers sharply cut back on production and control their respective inventory in hoping to push DRAM prices higher, DRAMeXchange believes the DRAM upward trend can continue through 3Q09 and the low price of the 1GB chip can reach US$12. If DRAM makers continue to maintain production cuts and inventory control, DDR2 1Gb may soon reach US$1.5.