Global NAND flash output value to rise 15% in 2013, says DRAMeXchange

Josephine Lien, Taipei; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES [Monday 24 December 2012]

Output value for the global NAND flash memory industry will rise 15% in 2013, with the growth driven mainly by brisk demand for integrated solid-state drives (SSD) and embedded MMC (eMMC) solutions used in smartphones and tablets, according to DRAMeXchange.

Ultrabooks will be another growth driver for NAND flash during 2013, said DRAMeXchange, adding that the year's bit demand growth forecast is 47.6%.

On the supply side, major chipmakers including Toshiba have cut their NAND flash production since the second half of 2012 to help the industry return to a healthier supply-demand dynamic, DRAMeXchange observed. Oversupply of NAND flash caused the chip prices to fall dramatically in the first half of 2012, DRAMeXchange said.

With the chipmakers continuing to control their NAND flash output, growth in their 12-inch wafer production will slow to about 4% in 2013, DRAMeXchange estimated. The overall supply bit growth is forecast to reach 41% in 2013, the price tracker said.

The ASP for NAND flash will slip around 22% in 2013, compared to a larger 39.7% fall in 2012, according to DRAMeXchange.

In addition, with chip suppliers being more cautious about expanding, the mainstream production node for NAND flash will likely remain 20nm, DRAMeXchange noted.