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According to the latest report of DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, the price of server DRAM will continue to rise as the supply remains tight in 1Q18. Meanwhile, previous 2133MHz products will be overtaken by higher clock rate (2666MHz and 2400MHz) production, so high-bandwidth server modules will become the mainstream products.
Micron Technology and Intel will discontinue their partnership on NAND Flash development after completing the development of their third generation of 3D-NAND Flash (96-layer), according to their announcements on January 8, 2018. The two will part ways in developing NAND Flash technology due to their individual business needs, but will continue to jointly develop and manufacture 3D XPoint at their fab in Lehi, Utah. DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, points out that 96-layer 3D-NAND Flash will not become the mainstream products until 2019, so this decision of parting ways will not influence their product roadmaps until 2020.
On 22 December 2017, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) held a meeting with representatives from Samsung to express concerns about Samsung’s role in the continuing price increase for memory products. Based on the latest findings, DRAMeXchange of TrendForce believes that this event could affect memory prices in 1Q18. At present, contract negotiations are ongoing in both DRAM and NAND Flash markets. If Samsung and other suppliers take heed of NDRC’s opinion, then the price upswing, especially in the mobile DRAM market, will likely to moderate.
LCD panel market is expecting several new large generation fabs in 2018. BOE has launched the world’s first Gen 10.5 fab, while CEC-CHOT’s Gen 8.6 fab and Gen 8.6+ fab of CEC-Panda Chengdu will also go into operation this year. According to WitsView, a division of TrendForce, LCD panel prices are expected to drop by 20-40% in 2018 compared with 2017, pushing up demands for TV panels. Therefore, the supply and demand will achieve a balance in 2018, with possibility of oversupply in 2019.
Toshiba and Western Digital have reached an agreement on December 13th, 2017, after lawsuits and disputes over joint venture throughout the past year. The two companies have extended existing joint-venture agreement to 2029, which confirms that Western Digital will jointly invest in Fab 6 facility at Yokkaichi to secure its competitiveness in 3D-NAND Flash with 96-layer or greater. Soon after the agreement, Toshiba announced its Fab 7 construction plan on December 21st. According to DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, the production capacity expansion of major NAND Flash manufacturers, e.g. Toshiba, Samsung, Intel, and Yangtze Memory Technologies Corporation (YMTC), will have increasing impacts on the industry, resulting in a possible oversupply in NAND Flash market in 2019.