According to DRAMeXchange, a division of global market research firm TrendForce, SK Hynix’s Wuxi fab is based on Gemini architecture. Part of the fab was originally an 8-inch wafer fab with a smaller capacity, and this is where the fire originated. The damages have affected around 100K wafers per month of the plant’s 130K wafers per month capacity. The remaining 30K wafers per month suffered smoke damage, and capacity has not been restored as of today. It is likely the Wuxi plant will not have any output in September and October.
According to the latest market survey conducted by AVANTI, a research division of TrendForce, both Samsung and Apple remain the most used smartphone brands among Chinese consumers. Xiaomi has notably managed to rise past HTC this time around, and is currently at fifth place. TrendForce believes Xiaomi’s smartphone sales will greatly affect China's domestic smartphone industry, and will exert the most impact on smartphone manufacturers such as Lenovo and ZTE, which produce similarly priced products.
According to DRAMeXchange, a research division of TrendForce, the future DRAM contract prices are expected to trend upwards due to the production shortages resulting from the Wuxi plant's fire accident and the uncertainties surrounding its recovery period. The price uptrend is expected to persist in spite of the economic downturn and the market's underwhelming peak quarter performances.