Mobile RAM to account for 30% of global memory chip production in 2013

The portion of mobile RAM to global production of memory chips will rise to 30% in 2013 compared to 21% in the previous year, buoyed by strong demand from the smartphone and tablet sectors, according to industry sources.

In particular, growing sales of smartphones will serve as an impetus for the rise of mobile RAM chips, said the sources, noting that global sales of smartphones are expected to top over one billion units in 2013 and each smartphone is expected to have built-in memory of up to 1-2GB.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have moved into the mobile RAM sector much earlier than their rivals, and the two vendors currently account for 70% of the global mobile RAM market, the sources estimated.