TrendForce predicts a significant rise in mobile DRAM and NAND Flash (eMMC/UFS) prices for the first quarter of 2024, with an expected seasonal increase of 18–23%. This surge could be further amplified in a market dominated by a few major players or if brand clients resort to panic buying under pressure.
TrendForce’s latest findings reveal that as of 2023, Taiwan holds approximately 46% of global semiconductor foundry capacity, followed by China (26%), South Korea (12%), the US (6%), and Japan (2%). However, due to government incentives and subsidies promoting local production in countries like China and the US, the semiconductor production capacities of Taiwan and South Korea are projected to decrease to 41% and 10%, respectively, by 2027.
Huawei’s subsidiary HiSilicon has made significant strides in the independent R&D of AI chips, launching the next-gen Ascend 910B. These chips are utilized not only in Huawei's public cloud infrastructure but also sold to other Chinese companies.
Overall, while enterprise SSD contract prices continued their downward trajectory in Q3, a surge in global purchasing demand by 10% has elevated its revenue to US$1.56 billion, marking a 4.2% QoQ increase.
TrendForce reports that smartphone production—fueled by reduced channel inventories and spikes in seasonal demand—saw a significant uptick in 3Q23. Global smartphone production in the third quarter reached approximately 308 million units, marking a 13% QoQ increase. Although this figure has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, it represents a 6.4% YoY increase, effectively ending an eight-quarter streak of annual declines.