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NEWS & VIEWS |
Taipei,
Friday, December 5, 2008
09:00 (GMT+8)
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NAND flash set for slower growth in 2009, says DRAMeXchange Dec 4, 14:19 Bit growth rate in the production of NAND flash chips will be lowered to 93% in 2009, down from the 125% projected for 2008 due to a slow growth in major NAND flash memory applications, according to estimates by DRAMeXchange. Read more |
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DRAM and NAND flash pricing drop to new lows Nov 27, 01:05 DRAM and NAND flash chip prices both recently dropped to new lows with 1Gb DDR2 chips at around US$0.70 and NAND flash chips falling around 20% over the past two weeks, according to sources at memory makers. Read more |
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IM Flash starts 34nm NAND flash production Nov 25, 09:51 Intel and Micron Technology has announced mass production of their jointly-developed 34nm, 32 gigabit multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory device. Developed and manufactured by the companies' NAND flash joint venture, IM Flash Technologies, the process technology is available on the market and enables the industry's 32Gb NAND chip that fits into a standard 48-lead thin small-outline package (TSOP). Read more |
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Phison: Easing inventory to help improve 4Q profits, despite negative outlook for NAND flash market Nov 11, 11:45 NAND flash controller IC design house Phison Electronics will see sequentially-improved profits in the fourth quarter of 2008, buoyed by easing low-priced inventory plus currency exchange gains from its non-core business sector, according to company general manager Khein-Seng Pau. Phison expects recovery to take place progressively from this quarter, noted Pau, adding that the company will concentrate on contribution from its new-technology product line. Read more |
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NAND flash output continues to grow as demand falls Nov 5, 12:25 Despite of sharp decline in demand for consumer electronics products caused by the global financial crisis, the output of global NAND flash chips continued to post a bit growth rate of 25% sequentially in the third quarter of this year, according to data released by DRAMeXchange. Read more |
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A-Data said to have settled with SanDisk over NAND flash patents Nov 3, 15:37 Following Afa Technologies' (Afatech's) settlement with SanDisk over its NAND flash-related patent infringement lawsuit, another Taiwan-based flash memory product maker, A-Data Technology, has reportedly also reached an agreement, according to market sources. Read more |
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NAND flash market faces historic downturn in 2008 and 2009, says iSuppli Nov 3, 12:20 Once one of the fastest-growing segments of the global semiconductor industry, the NAND flash memory market has been stricken by weakening consumer spending, causing revenues to decline in both 2008 and 2009, according to iSuppli. Read more |
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Toshiba to launch 43nm SLC NAND flash Oct 29, 12:33 Toshiba has announced the launch of a new line-up of 43nm single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory products available in densities ranging from 512Mb to 64Gb and in a total of 16 versions. The new range includes three products, 16Gb, 32Gb and 64Gb, which integrate monolithic 16Gb chips fabricated with 43nm generation process technology, the highest density chips available. The new devices will start to come to market in the first quarter of 2009. Read more |
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Memory card maker Kingmax cautious on NAND flash inventory Oct 24, 14:56 Taiwan-based memory card maker Kingmax Digital will continue to adopt a cautious approach towards the purchase of NAND flash chips in the fourth quarter as the company holds a conservative outlook for the memory card market, according to company president Lawrence Chang. Read more |
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NAND flash prices have peaked; to drop again in November, say industry players Oct 24, 01:10 The peak season for NAND flash this year will only last for the month of October, and prices for 16Gb and 32Gb chips are expected to fall again next month, according to industry players. Read more |
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Taiwan NAND flash makers turn soft over SanDisk lawsuit Oct 16, 01:20 Of the 25 companies sued by SanDisk over NAND flash-related patent infringement, one first-tier NAND flash controller chip maker Afa Technologies (Afatech) recently announced it has settled with SanDisk, while many other memory module and controller chip makers have also expressed willingness to reach a settlement if SanDisk offers favorable conditions, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Kingston sees surge in demand for NAND flash products in China Oct 15, 01:10 Memory module maker Kingston Technology expects a staggering increase in shipments of NAND flash products in October as demand in China is growing strongly. Read more |
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NAND flash contract quotes stabilized in October Oct 13, 11:57 Contract quotes of 4Gb and 8Gb NAND flash chips for October have stabilized as Samsung has reportedly begun to reduce its supply to the spot market in preparation for orders from major customers, according to industry watchers in Taiwan. Read more |
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Afatech ships record amount of NAND flash controllers in 3Q08 Oct 9, 14:57 NAND flash controller maker Afa Technologies (Afatech) has said that its shipments of flash controller chips hit a record high of over 30 million units in the third quarter of this year. Read more |
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Second-tier memory vendors laying off workers to cut operating costs Oct 6, 14:40 A number of Taiwan-based second-tier memory vendors have begun to lay off employees working at production lines and backup units as a means to reduce operating costs in order to tide over the current slump in the industry, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Toshiba to fully advance NAND flash to 43nm in 1Q09 Sep 25, 01:05 Toshiba is planning to advance all its NAND flash process technology to the 43nm node in the first quarter of 2009 and will phase out the current 56nm process in a bid to counter falling prices, according to industry sources. Read more |
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NAND flash spot prices up slightly this week Sep 23, 15:01 The NAND flash spot market has been active so far this week, with more orders than before, on higher prices, according to InSpectrum. Compared with closing prices on Friday, September 18, the ASPs of 16Gb MLC and 32Gb MLC increased this week more than 1% to US$2.42 and US$5.86, respectively, the research firm noted. Read more |
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In a weak NAND flash market, Samsung stands out Sep 19, 12:00 Due to intense competition and slowdown of the economy, the NAND flash market has been experiencing a sharp downturn since the beginning of 2008. iSuppli early this year warned that the NAND market would experience a challenging 2008. iSuppli now has cut its 2008 NAND annual flash revenue growth forecast from 9% to negative 3%. Read more |
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Hynix to accelerate retirement of 200mm fabs, to reduce capacity by 30% by early 2009 Sep 18, 16:12 Hynix Semiconductor said that the company will retire its 200mm wafer fabrication plants, which are less efficient than 300mm fabs earlier than planned in order to improve its financial stability and focus on profitability. Hynix has total five 200mm fabs, including M7 in Icheon, M8 and M9 in Cheongju, E1 in Eugene, United States and HC1 in Wuxi, China. Read more |
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SanDisk rejects Samsung buyout bid, Samsung reiterates offer Sep 17, 11:59 After SanDisk announced that its board of directors rejected an unsolicited proposal from Samsung Electronics to acquire SanDisk for US$26 per share in cash, or about US$5.85 billion in total, Samsung responded by reiterating its offer to SanDisk, indicating that it believes SanDisk is clinging to unrealistic expectations on both its standalone market value and an appropriate merger price. Read more |
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Fake NAND flash spreading China, undermining market Sep 17, 11:26 While the global memory chip market is experiencing a slump currently, a large quantity of fake NAND flash is showing up in the China market with the bulk available as Samsung-branded chips, according to sources with Taiwan memory chipmakers. Read more |
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SanDisk evaluating selling NAND flash wafers instead of finished goods Sep 8, 15:31 Sources from the memory industry in Taiwan have indicated that SanDisk is approaching customers for possible sales of NAND flash in wafer or die form. The strategy is said to be driven by sluggish demand that has aggravated inventory pressure at SanDisk, the sources explained. Read more |
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NAND flash controller IC design houses post mixed results in 1H08 Aug 29, 11:52 Major NAND flash controller IC design houses have posted mixed financial results for the first half of 2008. As prices for of NAND flash keep heading south, fellow controller IC design houses have also seen their sales growth suppressed. Read more |
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NAND flash makers extend their presence to USB memory drives Aug 26, 01:10 Sluggish NAND flash demand and demand from OEM customers has prompted chipmakers to extend their presences beyond chip production. Among major NAND flash makers, Intel, Micron Technology and Samsung Electronics are said to be tapping both the memory card and USB drive markets, according to industry sources. Read more |
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NAND flash contract prices expected to drop over 10% in late August Aug 22, 01:10 Contract prices for mainstream 8Gb and 16Gb NAND flash chips are both expected to drop over 10% in late August, according to sources at memory makers. Read more |
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Phison: NAND flash industry trough may last another quarter Aug 20, 11:21 High inventory of NAND flash among leading NAND flash players has led to a series of price cuts from August but demand is still expected to be suppressed through the entire third quarter, said Khein-Seng Pau, general manager of Phison Electronics. Amid an unclear outlook, he said the present industry trough may last at least for another quarter. Read more |
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Micron makes gains in NAND market Aug 20, 10:24 Micron Technology in the second quarter narrowed its NAND flash memory market-share gap with Hynix Semiconductor, setting the stage for a battle for the industry's third rank this year, according to iSuppli. US-based Micron in the second quarter sold US$300 million worth of NAND flash memory, up 11.9% from US$268 million in the first quarter, the largest percentage and revenue growth of the top-7 suppliers ranked by iSuppli. Read more |
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NAND flash demand further suppressed by anticipation of recovery Aug 14, 12:02 NAND flash contract prices trended downward in the first half of August, with prices dropping by approximately 5-15% sequentially, according to DRAMeXchange. The weakening price trend is primarily because of a sluggish demand and a bounce in contract pricing is only likely to come late in the third quarter when demand-supply status improves, the memory-trading firm said. Read more |
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Kingston takes 10% stake at NAND flash controller designer 3S Aug 11, 11:03 NAND flash controller design house Solid State System (3S) announced that Kingston Technology has taken a 10% stake in the company via a private placement as expected. By forging the investment ties, 3S anticipates that the synergy will help strengthen its position in the NAND flash supply chain. Read more |
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Toshiba launches 32GB embedded NAND flash Aug 8, 09:38 Toshiba announced the launch of 32GB embedded NAND flash memory modules that the company claims are the largest density yet announced, with the modules also having full compliance with the e-MMC and eSD standards. Samples will be available in September 2008, and mass production will start in the fourth quarter. Read more |
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Short-term DRAM market showing renewed weakness, says iSuppli Aug 5, 01:30 After experiencing a mild recovery in the second quarter, the global DRAM market is showing renewed signs of weakness, with prices expected to fall during the third quarter due to bloated inventories, according to iSuppli. Read more |
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ASE denies forming joint venture agreement with Toshiba Stockwatch - Aug 5, 01:05 In response to a Chinese-language Commercial Times article stating that the ASE Group will be forming a backend joint-venture with Toshiba, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) indicated that it is constantly in talks with US, Europe and Japanese IDMs (integrated device manufacturers) on the topic of strengthening its relationships in the backend space, but up until now it has not yet reached any agreement on forming a backend joint venture or any type of arrangement with any IDM, according to a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE). Read more |
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Phison aims for more NAND flash market share amid sharp price correction Aug 4, 11:11 Phison Electronics aims for more NAND flash controller market share in the second half of 2008 amid the sharp NAND flash price correction as seen recently, according to company general manager Khein-Seng Pau. Read more |
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NAND flash controller makers see demand warming up Jul 22, 10:38 After suffering from plummeting prices in June, NAND flash memory controller IC design houses are seeing an improved market demand status, though growth is not consistent. Most leading controller IC design houses expect their July sales to grow by double digits due to demand warming-up and industry players keeping discipline over supply. Read more |
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Drops in NAND flash contract pricing to intensify in July, says InSpectrum Jun 27, 01:05 Following a 20% sequential price drop for mainstream 8Gb multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash at the contract market in the second half of June, an intensified drop should be seen in July as industry players are being exposed to aggravated end-of-quarter financial pressure, according to InSpectrum. Read more |
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Silicon Motion announces three new SSD controllers optimized for MLC NAND flash Jun 25, 16:36 Silicon Motion Technology has announced the launch of three new controllers for solid-state drives (SSDs). Read more |
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NAND flash pricing hits new lows Jun 16, 16:12 The price of NAND flash chips has continued to fall, with the price of 8Gb NAND flash recently dropping to as low as US$2.35 amid weak demand for consumer electronics products as consumers worldwide tighten their spending in fear of inflation. Read more |
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Intel and Micron introduce 34nm MLC NAND flash May 30, 01:20 Intel and Micron Technology have announced the introduction of a sub-40nm NAND memory device with the unveiling of a 34nm-made multi-level cell (MLC) chip with a density of 32Gb. Sampling is slated to begin in June with mass production expected to follow in the second half of 2008. Read more |
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NAND flash spot price slumps again May 29, 12:34 Memory module makers are being exposed to a sequential sales decline pressure as the spot price of NAND, after being stable for a while, is now showing signs of weakening again. Read more |
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