[Insights] Memory Spot Price Update: NAND Demand Rebounds as Samsung Halts Small-Capacity MLC Production

According to TrendForce’s latest memory spot price trend report, regarding DRAM, the upward momentum is concentrated on DDR5, while prices of DDR4 remains weak due to oversupply. As for NAND flash, demand rebounds post-Lunar New Year, with small-capacity MLC products seeing the largest demand as a result of Samsung’s suspended production. Details are as follows:

DRAM Spot Price:

There is a shortage of overclockable DRAM chips from SK hynix, as these products are highly sought after by brands for gaming NBs. This has led to an increase in the prices of DDR5 products. While there has not been a noticeable increase in demand for other specific product categories, low-priced stocks have been sold off, causing spot prices to creep up slightly on a daily basis. Currently, the upward momentum is concentrated on DDR5 products. DDR4 products remain in excess supply, so their prices are relatively weak. Overall, TrendForce believes that spot prices have recently reached the bottom. If demand starts to climb, spot prices will become a leading indicator of future stabilization in the ASP. The average spot price of the mainstream chips (i.e., DDR4 1Gx8 3200MT/s) has not changed from last week and is holding steady at US$1.449.

NAND Flash Spot Price:

There has been an apparent recovery in transactions and inquiries within the spot market after the Lunar New Year holiday, with small-capacity MLC products seeing the largest demand as a result of Samsung’s suspended production, which led to an increase of MLC eMMC prices. Spot prices of large-capacity wafers are seeing increases in quotations due to the completed digestion of low-priced inventory on the market, though buyers are still somewhat reserved for the time being. Spot prices of 512Gb TLC wafers have risen by 1.04% this week, arriving at US$2.425.