DRAM prices rebound as Chinese factories resume

Prices for dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips rebounded on month in April, as assembly lines in China resumed operations after temporarily shutting down, data showed Monday.

The spot price of 8-gigabit DDR4 DRAM, a benchmark price for the category, reached $3.29 as of Thursday, according to data from market tracker DRAMeXchange. It marked an 11.9 percent rise from $2.94 on March 31.

The market tracker attributed the increase to the improved factory operational rate in China, the epicenter of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

The overall supply of server DRAM chips by Korean producers, namely Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, will increase throughout the third quarter, which could potentially curb price gains down the road, it added.

Market watchers said the average sales price of DRAMs will further lose ground later this year due to falling global demand for mobile devices.

In a separate report, TrendForce, which has DRAMeXchange under its wing, said global smartphone sales are anticipated to dip 11.3 percent on year to reach 1.24 billion units this year.

“The global spread of Covid-19 in 2020 has brought about the greatest magnitude of declines in the smartphone market in recent years,” TrendForce said.

Yonhap