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Facing rising pressure from Chinese rivals, Samsung has reportedly told clients it will phase out production of 1z nm 8Gb LPDDR4, with the line reaching End of Life (EOL) in April, according to Commercial Times.
As noted by Commercial Times, Samsung’s move has been in the pipeline for months, as Chinese rivals win low-end smartphone orders and flood the DDR4 market with cheaper chips, squeezing profits. In response, Samsung is shifting focus to higher-end memory like LPDDR5 and HBM, the report suggests.
Final orders (Last Buy Order, LBO) are due by June, with shipments wrapping up by October, the report indicates.
Notably, as top memory companies shift toward premium products, Taiwanese memory makers Winbond and Nanya Technology, which focus on DDR4, are poised to pick up the slack, the report adds.
According to Commercial Times, Chinese memory firms are also making strides in high-end products, as they are rumored to roll out HBM3 and HBM3e products around 2026-27. As global DRAM and NAND capex remain cautious, the memory supply chain will face heightened competition from China and increased risks from U.S. tariffs, the report notes.
Memory Price to Stay Firm in the Short Term
However, in the short term, prices may stay firm thanks to inventory buildup and tighter supply, according to Commercial Times.
TrendForce’s latest investigations reveal that the implementation of the U.S. “reciprocal tariffs” on April 9th—followed by a 90-day grace period for most regions—has already prompted buyers and suppliers to adjust their strategies in response to policy uncertainty.
With both sides rushing to complete transactions and shipments within the grace period to mitigate future policy risks, memory market activity is expected to pick up notably in 2Q25, with DRAM and NAND prices projected to rise by 3-8%, according to TrendForce.
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(Photo credit: Samsung)
