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The DRAM market is in shambles. There's really no sugar coating it at this point, and if your livelihood depends on DRAM, you may want to consider a new line of work. OCZ, which helped invent the whole enthusiast RAM market over a decade ago, saw the writing on the wall and decided to duck out of the DRAM business in time to focus on the much more profitable SSD sector. So what exactly has Eplida CEO Yukio Sakamoto smiling?
Sakamoto is banking on a potential rebound, DigiTimes reports. According to Sakamoto, clients have begun rebuilding their DRAM inventory, which will drive contract prices up. He expects 2Gb DDR3 chips to start rising up to around $3 in March.
Survival of the fittest is also coming into play. Sakamoto predicts the DRAM market will shrink to just three players, and maybe even two following another round of acquisitions and eliminations. Those who want to survive should focus on mobile RAM, Sakamoto says, noting that Elpida's in-house capacity at its Hiroshima, Japan plant is now almost exclusively producing mobile DRAM chips.
Comments are closed on this article
wjthom92
February 11, 2011 at 5:46pm
Wow guys... those are helpful comments. Prices will go up, down or stay the same (of course).
Or... price a Ferrari the same as a Corolla. That'd be nice.
rseding91
February 10, 2011 at 2:14pm
I predict 1 of 4 things will happen.
1: DRAM prices go back up - sucks for the customers because it costs more.
2: DRAM prices stay the same - great for the customers because it costs less
3: DRAM prices go down and a few of the DRAM makers will go out of business and then the shortage of DRAM will cause it to go back up in price to what people are willing to pay for it - still good for the customer because the price stays somewhat cheap
4: DRAM prices go down and the government steps in and forces them up hurting customers, competition, quality of the products and making all the customers pay more taxes to lower there ever increasing debt - bad for the customers because not only does DRAM cost more but now there taxes are higher
Personally I hope #2 or #3 happens. Nothing lasts forever. Eventually a company dies.
Keith E. Whisman
February 10, 2011 at 12:26pm
They need to start producing 4 and 8GB sticks of DDR3 and sell them for what the 2GB sticks are currently priced at.
They need to produce awesome products that people will want, not just the same basic crap every day.
