IHS iSuppli: Don't Hold Your Breath Waiting for DDR4

Posted 06/29/2011 at 9:03am | by Paul Lilly

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Feel free to load up on DDR3 memory without worrying about it going obsolete in the next 12 months, or even 24 months. According to market research firm IHS iSuppli, DDR3 modules, which currently claim between 85-90 percent of the memory market, will remain the dominant DRAM type for at least three more years before it starts to give up ground to faster, next-generation DDR4 modules.

"DDR3 has been the main DRAM module technology shipped in terms of bits since the first quarter of 2010, gaining adoption quickly in the PC ecosphere as the market’s primary driver," said Clifford Leimbach, analyst for memory demand forecasting at IHS. "Not only is DDR3 the dominant technology today in the three PC channels for original equipment manufacturers, the PC white-box space and the upgrade market, DDR3 is also the chief presence across all PC applications, such as desktops and laptops, as well as their subcategories in the performance, mainstream and entry-level computing sectors."

By the end of 2011, IHS iSuppli predicts DDR3 will account for 89 percent of the 808 million DRAM module units shipped, up from 67 percent one year ago and 24 percent in 2009. In 2012, DDR3 will account for 92 percent of all memory and then peak at 94 percent in 2013 "before it heads down an irreversible cycle of decline that starts in 2014." By 2015, IHS iSuppli predicts DDR4 will account for the majority of DRAM with a 56 percent market share.