Samsung cuts <span style='color:red'>NAND</span> flash memory production
Trade news

Samsung cuts NAND flash memory production

　　According to semiconductor industry insiders, Samsung Electronics has stepped up NAND flash production cuts and has reduced NAND flash memory production by about 40%. It is expected that the production reduction will reach 50% by the end of 2023.　　According to sources, Samsung has cut NAND flash production by 20% in the first half of 2023. The 50% reduction is expected to last at least one quarter before the end of the year.　　Sources also said that the purpose of Samsung's production reduction is to accelerate the transformation of its process technology to improve its product structure.　　The price of NAND flash memory has risen as Samsung and other manufacturers have drastically cut production or reduced investment. According to the supply chain, Samsung’s 512Gb NAND flash wafer price rose to $1.60 from the previous $1.40. It is expected that the unit price of 512Gb wafers will reach $2 by the end of this year.　　Sources pointed out that as wafer costs increase, the price of flash memory devices such as consumer SSDs and enterprise solutions is rising and is expected to continue to rise before the end of the year.
Key word：
Release time：2023-09-14 14:51 reading：3565 Continue reading>>
Samsung, Micron Battling for <span style='color:red'>NAND</span> Supremacy
Trade news

Samsung, Micron Battling for NAND Supremacy

　　Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology continue to fight for supremacy in the NAND market, with both companies recently announcing higher-density 3D NAND solutions—albeit with different nomenclatures.　　Samsung has opted to focus on 3D NAND bit density with the introduction of its 1-terabit (Tb) triple-level–cell eighth-generation vertical NAND (V-NAND), which the company claims is the industry’s highest bit density. Meanwhile, Micron has opted to present its latest 3D NAND in term of layers, having announced its 232-layer 3D NAND mid-year in 2022.　　Samsung’s eighth-gen V-NAND　　SungHoi Hur, executive vice president of flash product and technology at Samsung, told EE Times during an interview that the company achieved high bit density through a Cell-on-Peri (COP) structure, which the company introduced with its seventh-generation V-NAND.　　With a COP structure, a cell array area is placed above the peripheral. But even with a COP structure, part of the peripheral is placed outside of the cell, Hur said, meaning the cell array must be reduced along with the peripheral area below and next to the cell array to reduce chip size.　　Samsung first introduced its vertically stacked V-NAND flash in 2013. “Since then, we have been developing disruptive technologies to reduce the area and height of cells and have accumulated a great deal of Samsung know-how,” Hur said.　　That know-how includes Samsung’s high-aspect–ratio contact etching technology, which the company uses to reduce the area of the cell array. For the eighth-generation V-NAND, Samsung successfully minimized the area of all three parts from the previous generation to enable even more density, Hur added.　　A specific challenge that Samsung aims to address is avoiding the cell-to-cell interference that normally occurs with scaling down if the mold of the cell unit gets slimmer for scaling. “To counteract that interference, we have identified possible tradeoffs in performance first; then we moved on to solving the fundamental problems,” Hur said.　　He also noted that the purpose of Samsung’s solution was to develop an optimal operation scheme for minimizing interference during writing, applying a new material to the blocking layer in the cell to prevent electrons from bouncing out of the charge trap layer (CTL) due to voltage and improving the structure of the CTL.　　Hur said reaching this milestone means overcoming a variety of hurdles. From a structural perspective, the molds could lean to one side more easily as the total stack height continues to grow. “As the cells become closer and smaller, we have to fight with decreasing cell current as well as interference among cells,” he said. Samsung is working to lower the total stack height by leveraging the support structure used in its seventh-generation V-NAND and the multi-hole technology while also exploring new solutions, including an innovative cell structure using new materials.
Key word：
Release time：2023-01-12 10:40 reading：3485 Continue reading>>
<span style='color:red'>NAND</span> Flash Manufacturers to Cut Capex by 2% YoY in 2019 Due to Worsening Oversupply
Trade news

NAND Flash Manufacturers to Cut Capex by 2% YoY in 2019 Due to Worsening Oversupply

Experiencing an oversupply over the entire year of 2018, the global NAND Flash market continues to face excess capacity this year as the demand outlook for notebooks, smartphones, servers and other end products remains weak, reports DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce. NAND Flash manufacturers have slowed down the capacity expansion by cutting capex in 2019, aiming to moderate the oversupply by limiting the bit output growth.South Korean manufacturers have taken initiatives to cut their NAND Flash capex due to the worsening oversupply in 2018, says DRAMeXchange. Even though the total capex in the whole NAND Flash industry has been cut by nearly 10%, the oversupply has continued. Looking ahead to 2019, U.S.-based manufacturers would also lower their semiconductor capex, and the total capex in the global NAND Flash industry is expected to be $22 billion, about 2% YoY lower than in 2018.Influenced by the adjustments in capacity expansion, 92/96-layer 3D NAND products would only account for about 32% of the industry’s total output by the end of 2019, while the portion of 64/72-layer products remains over 50%, although the major manufacturers have entered the mass production of 92/96-layer 3D NAND since the fourth quarter of 2018. As the manufacturers slow down capacity expansion and migration to advanced process, the bit output growth of NAND Flash is expected to be around 38% in 2019, significantly lower than over 45% in 2018.As for the capacity adjustments of manufacturers, DRAMeXchange notes that Samsung’s NAND Flash bit output growth is expected to be around 35%, considering the following two factors. First, Samsung would continue to reduce its production capacity for 2D NAND. Second, the operating capacity would also decrease compared with the end of 2018, since the 92-layer process requires more space in the fab. The slowdown in bit output growth would have great impacts on the global NAND Flash production, because Samsung's share in the NAND Flash market is about 30%.SK Hynix and Toshiba/Western Digital also have a chance to see smaller bit output growth. The two companies have respectively new M15 fab and Fab 6, but would also be affected by the production reduction plan or capacity transfer to previous-generation process. Therefore, DRAMeXchange has revised the forecast of their annual bit output growth to less than 50% and 35%, down from previous forecast of 50% and 40%, considering the weak demand outlook.Micron's new fab in Singapore will not officially enter mass production until 2020, so the company’s wafer capacity per month in 2019 will remain flat when compared to 4Q18. Intel plans to reach a full load capacity in its Dalian fab, but does not have other capacity expansion plan. The joint bit output of Micron and Intel would grow by nearly 40% in 2019, noticeably lower than 45% in 2018.In terms of the NAND Flash price trends for 2019, the quotes for various product lines would witness apparently steeper drop than DRAMeXchange’s previous forecasts, indicating the excess inventories faced by manufacturers. DRAMeXchange expects a quarterly decline of 20% in 1Q19, higher than previous forecast of 10%, and a further decline of nearly 15% QoQ in 2Q19. For 2H19, the price decline may be slightly moderated considering the coming of peak season, but prices would continue to fall by around 10% each quarter. It remains to be seen whether manufacturers are able to further limit their bit output growth. In sum, the average NAND Flash price would decrease by nearly a half in 2019, according to the calculation of DRAMeXchange.
Key word：
Release time：2019-01-11 00:00 reading：1179 Continue reading>>
Contract Prices of <span style='color:red'>NAND</span> Flash Products to Drop Further in 1H19; Price Decline Would Reach 10% in 1Q19
Trade news

Contract Prices of NAND Flash Products to Drop Further in 1H19; Price Decline Would Reach 10% in 1Q19

DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, reports that the bit output from the NAND Flash industry in 2018 turned out to be higher than expected, as suppliers had steady yields of their 64-layer 3D NAND production. NAND Flash demand, however, has remained sluggish due to the looming trade war between China and the U.S., the shortage of Intel CPUs, and the lower-than-expected sales of new iPhone devices, despite the year-end busy season.Looking ahead to the first half of 2019, NAND Flash manufacturers have tried to slow down their production capacity expansion, but the seasonal headwinds and high inventory levels would only intensify oversupply concerns in the market. Contract prices of NAND Flash products in 1Q19 are expected to drop further by around 10%.DRAMeXchange points out that the eMMC/UFS sector has seen a steeper price decline in 4Q18, since Chinese smartphone manufacturers attempt to consume inventories and adjust production plans by the end of the year. The inventory consumptions are expected to continue in 1Q19, so the contract prices of eMMC/UFS products would witness further fall of nearly 10%.As for the trend in the SSD market, DRAMeXchange expects Client SSD contract prices to fall by nearly 10% in 1Q19. The global notebook shipments for 1Q19 are estimated to decrease slightly by over 15% QoQ, the bit demand for SSD will grow more sluggish and prices will grow weaker, despite the increasing SSD adoption rate in the PC market and the memory content upgrades.Enterprise SSD market has become a battleground for all manufacturers as the demand for servers keeps growing, which will make the price competition more intense in 2019. For the first quarter of next year, the Enterprise SSD contract prices would also fall by more than 10% considering the seasonal headwinds.With regard to the demand in channel market, module makers have abundant supply this year, but as the NAND Flash prices continue to fall, module makers need to clear their inventories at the end of each month to cut loss. They even have to sell defective products to keep profitability, which is rather disruptive in the market. While major NAND Flash suppliers make a good profit this year, module makers are struggling with the worsening profitability. Looking ahead, the market situation is highly likely to remain tough for module makers in 1H19.
Key word：
Release time：2018-12-18 00:00 reading：1209 Continue reading>>
Total <span style='color:red'>NAND</span> Flash Revenue Rose by Just 4.4% QoQ in 3Q18
Trade news

Total NAND Flash Revenue Rose by Just 4.4% QoQ in 3Q18

DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, reports that the bit output from the NAND Flash industry increased steadily in 3Q18, as suppliers raised the yields of their 64/72-layer 3D NAND production. NAND Flash demand, however, had yet to catch up with supply despite the year-end busy season. The shortage of Intel CPUs and the lower-than-expected sales of new iPhone devices have respectively stifled the demand growths related to notebook PCs and smartphones. Also, the US-China trade dispute has been a negative influence on the whole market. Because the NAND Flash market had been in oversupply since the start of 2018, contract prices of NAND Flash products in 3Q18 registered significant declines from the previous quarter, and the average price drop was 10-15%.“The market for NAND Flash is expected to remain in oversupply during 4Q18, with steeper price decline for various NAND Flash products,” says DRAMeXchange analyst Ben Yeh. Memory module makers and OEMs are now at the end of their preparation for the year-end holiday season in North America and Europe, so they are reluctant to extend their inventories now. In addition, the US-China trade dispute simmers, leading to weaker demand. Particularly, price competition is intensifying in the markets for Enterprise SSDs and NAND Flash wafers. NAND Flash suppliers are concentrating on Enterprise SSD market to retain gross margins and on wafer market for greater digestion of inventories.SamsungSamsung’s NAND Flash revenue for 3Q18 rose by 2.1% QoQ to US$6.05 billion. Although demand was lower than anticipated for the busy season, Samsung maintained a QoQ growth of more than 20% in bit shipments because it has remained the dominant supplier of NAND Flash for flagship smartphones and recorded increasing shipments of its SSDs for PCs and servers. Nevertheless, falling prices across the market also resulted in a near 15% QoQ decline in Samsung’s ASP.Samsung’s consumer-grade SSDs (for the channel market) are presently using 3D NAND Flash made with the fifth-generation manufacturing process. The process will be progressively applied to the production of Client SSDs for PC-OEMs and UFS mobile solutions. Because the oversupply problem has grown to become more significant since the start of 2018, Samsung will slow down the pace of the process migration during 2019. This also means that the mainstream architecture in the NAND Flash market during 2019 will still be 64/72-layer 3D NAND.SK HynixSK Hynix’s NAND Flash revenue for 3Q18 advanced by 6.0% QoQ to US$1.83 billion. SK Hynix gained from the seasonal growth in smartphone shipments and the steady growth of its SSD sales. As a result, its bit shipments for the quarter also grew by 19% QoQ. Still, SK Hynix posted a 10% QoQ decline in its ASP because the demand growth was smaller than anticipated and not enough to offset the effect of oversupply.SK Hynix continues to concentrate on product sales in the mobile storage market. Its shipments of mobile solutions that are 128GB or higher have expanded noticeably following the releases of smartphones with higher-end specifications (e.g. the new iPhone devices and Chinese branded smartphones featuring an all-screen front). The success in the mobile storage market has also sustained the growth of the supplier’s bit shipments. In the SSD market, SK Hynix has been focusing on the sales of products based on 72-layer 3D NAND Flash. Consequently, SSDs accounted for more than 20% of SK Hynix’s total bit shipments in 3Q18.ToshibaThe demand growth resulting from the traditional busy season and the release of the new iPhone devices enabled Toshiba’s bit shipments to increase by more than 20% QoQ in 3Q18. However, falling prices in the end market caused Toshiba’s ASP to drop by almost 15% QoQ in the same period. Taken together, Toshiba posted a small increase of 1.9% QoQ in its quarterly revenue, totaling US$3.2 billion.The recent survey of Toshiba’s capacity and technology plans shows that the share of 64-layer 3D NAND production in the supplier’s total output has already surpassed 70%, and more than 50% of the supplier’s total production capacity is devoted to 3D NAND Flash. Additional production capacity for Toshiba during 2019 will come from the expansion of its Fab 6. Considering the market oversupply and the maturity of the supplier’s technology, Fab 6 will primarily manufacture products based on 64-layer 3D NAND.Western DigitalWestern Digital increased its bit shipments by 28% QoQ in 3Q18. This impressive shipment growth was attributed to the supplier’s advantages in the retail and channel market as well as the strong sales of its economically priced SSDs. In the same quarter, Western Digital also began to ship its high-density UFS products. On the other hand, the supplier’s ASP fell by 16% QoQ because of the general price slump for NAND Flash products. Western Digital’s 3Q18 revenue came to US$2.534 billion, amounting to an increase of 7.0% QoQ.In response to the oversupply problem during 2018, Western Digital will be limiting its CAPEX for 2019 and will scale back its future capacity expansion efforts. Hence, Western Digital is expected to slow down slightly with respect to the capacity expansion and the development of 96-layer 3D NAND Flash in 1H19.MicronMicron’s bit shipments in 3Q18 surged by more than 25% QoQ owing to the busy season in the smartphone market and the increase in the sales of its SSDs. Nevertheless, Micron still exerts great influence over the channel market. And because of the steep price drops in the channel market, Micron’s ASP fell by nearly 15% QoQ in 3Q18. All things considered, the supplier’s revenue for the same quarter rose by 14.7% QoQ to US$2.23 billion.To improve its cost structure, Micron has been decreasing the shipment share of products for the channel market. The company’s primary aim in the SSD market is to release products featuring both the NVMe interface and QLC NAND Flash in order to meet the demand for high-density storage. In the mobile storage market, Micron is continuing its collaboration with Chinese suppliers and searching for more opportunities in that country. Micron also began making product shipments in China during 3Q18.IntelIn 3Q18, Intel’s bit shipments kept growing at a QoQ rate of more than 10% due to its long-term dominance in the Enterprise SSD market. Despite prices spiraling downward in the NAND Flash market, Intel was able to keep the decline of its ASP just slightly larger than 9% QoQ. Its revenue performance remained relatively constant from the previous quarter, totaling US$1.08 billion. On the other hand, Intel reached its peak profit for this year in the third quarter thanks to the cost reduction associated with the increased use of 64-layer 3D NAND Flash in its SSDs (over 50% of its total SSD shipments in 3Q18).The additional production capacity made available by the second-phase expansion of Intel’s Dalian fab came online in 3Q18, and will achieve full capacity in 1H19. In addition, Intel and Micron have terminated their cooperation in the field of non-volatile memory. Although Micron will be acquiring the remaining interest in IM Flash Technologies, Intel can still use the Lehi plant for the production of 3D XPoint until the end of 2020. After that, however, Intel is on its own in the development of the third-generation of 3D XPoint products, so Intel will likely set up in-house production for this type of memory in the future.
Key word：
Release time：2018-11-20 00:00 reading：1213 Continue reading>>
October Contract Prices for <span style='color:red'>NAND</span> Flash Chips/Wafers Witnessed Continued Price Drop due to Weak Demand Outlook for End Markets
Trade news

October Contract Prices for NAND Flash Chips/Wafers Witnessed Continued Price Drop due to Weak Demand Outlook for End Markets

The NAND Flash market has remained in oversupply for the whole year of 2018, according to DRAMeXchange, a research division of TrendForce, with sufficient inventories for notebook/smartphone OEMs. The China-US trade war and the shortage of Intel CPU have made situations worse on the supply side. In October, the contract prices of SSD, and eMMC/UFS witnessed continued fall, while the price drop of NAND Flash chips and wafers appeared to be larger.The market of SLC NAND Flash chips is also affected as the China-US trade war simmers. “The market originally expected ZTE’s resumption of US business to boost demands from China’s netcom devices biddings in Q3, but the results turned out to be lower than expected”, says DRAMeXchange analyst Ben Yeh, “and the sufficient inventories of netcom ODMs would influence the stock-up demand in the coming quarters”. As the result, the market has seen an oversupply for SLC NAND Flash in Q4, driving down Q4 contract prices by 10-15%.Contract prices of the TLC NAND Flash wafers dropped by 13-17% in October, the highest monthly declineAs for NAND Flash Wafer, the prices normally experience noticeable falls at quarter end when companies announce their financial results. However, as the companies expect their annual inventory checking, the stock-up demand is expected to grow weak for the period after this November. Due to the relatively negative demand outlook for NAND Flash applications in 1H19, which prompted some suppliers to resort to price cuts, the contract prices of the TLC NAND Flash wafers dropped by 13-17% monthly in October, the largest price fall for a single month since November 2017. Despite the coming year-end holiday sales, the impact of current price falls on the restocking demands of the module firms will not be significant in the short term. Therefore, DRAMeXchange expects a high possibility of further price declines in November and December.Amid the recent overall price declines in the NAND Flash market, the drop in 3D TLC prices is sharper than the drop in 2D MLC prices, so more clients are switching to solutions based on the former architecture. With the demand shift, the price decline in 2D MLC prices has also extended to 4-10%.
Key word：
Release time：2018-11-07 00:00 reading：1124 Continue reading>>
DRAM and <span style='color:red'>NAND</span> Flash Products to See Price Decline in 4Q18 and 2019 due to Gap Between Supply and Demand
Trade news

DRAM and NAND Flash Products to See Price Decline in 4Q18 and 2019 due to Gap Between Supply and Demand

According to DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, DRAM products have begun to see a weak price trend, showing only a 1~2% QoQ hike in contract prices for 3Q18 due to the continued oversupply, despite the coming of holiday sales season. DRAMeXchange expects the quotations of DRAM products to decline by 5% or more QoQ in 4Q18, terminating the super cycle of price growth for nine consecutive quarters. NAND Flash experienced a price drop of around 10% in 3Q18 and expects a steeper drop of 10~15% in the fourth quarter, considering the impacts of trade war. Contract prices of 3D TLC NAND Flash chips in the channel market may even drop by more than 15% in 4Q18.Average DRAM price to drop by 15~20% YoY in 2019 due to the weak price trend of server DRAMDRAMeXchange points out that the main reasons behind the falling demand for DRAM are at various levels. First, the smartphone market this year may not see remarkable shipments, since the replacement demand for smartphones has been sluggish due to the lack of differentiation among products in terms of hardware specifications. Second, the server shipments are uncertain. Third, the notebook and PC shipments may be impacted by the shortage of Intel CPUs.Considering the supply situation in 2H18, DRAM manufacturers all expect a high possibility of oversupply in 2019. Therefore, they have tried to postpone or slowdown the capital expenditure and capacity expansion. The bit output has been increasing in Q3 and Q4 this year thanks to the increased share of products on the 1X/1Y nm processes and raised yield rate of the technology. Particularly, server DRAM products show the highest increase in output, of which the 1Gb solutions are the most profitable among other applications. Therefore, the server DRAM segment would highly likely see a weak price trend in the coming quarters, lowering the ASP of DRAM as a whole.For 2019, DRAMeXchange expects the annual bit output to increase by nearly 22%, with the 1X/1Y processes going mature and the wafer starts increasing, although manufacturers have become more conservative in capacity expansion. However, the trend of DRAM prices will depend on the growth momentum in the demand side, especially server shipments and average content per box. Currently, DRAMeXchange expects the DRAM prices to drop by around 15~20% in 2019, but the price decline may be steeper if the demand for servers and smartphones weakens.NAND Flash to see 25~30% price decline in 2019 due to increased 3D NAND production capacityNAND Flash market is also influenced by the sluggish demand for consumer electronics, while demand for the more profitable Enterprise SSD from servers and data centers remains stable. However, the competition among Enterprise SSD suppliers will become increasingly fierce; hence the prices of Enterprise SSD are very likely to continue decreasing in 2019. On the supply side, NAND Flash suppliers have raised their output forecasts as they have expanded their production capacity and improved the yield rates of their 64/72-layer 3D NAND production.DRAMeXchange now anticipates continuing price decline during the traditional slow season of 1H19. Because of the seasonal headwinds, shipment forecasts for smartphones, notebooks and tablets are fairly conservative for the first half of next year, together with the following-up impacts of China-US trade war. The gap between supply and demand may be moderated if the NAND Flash manufacturers postpone their capacity expansion and transition to 96-layer 3D NAND devices. By 4Q19, the overall production capacity of NAND Flash is expected to grow by 5% YoY, of which the capacity of 3D NAND production would increase significantly by 20% YoY. Hence, for the NAND Flash manufacturers’ capital expenditure, DRAMeXchange now expects further downward revision for their spending plans for 2019.
Key word：
Release time：2018-10-10 00:00 reading：979 Continue reading>>
Macronix Plans Low-Cost 3D <span style='color:red'>NAND</span>
Trade news

Macronix Plans Low-Cost 3D NAND

Miin Wu believes that he can cut 3D NAND prices by a third. The founder of Macronix is raising funds for a three-year effort that is both ambitious and pragmatic.The NOR and ROM maker seeks funds to expand by a little more than 10% of its current capacity of about 400,000 12-inch equivalent wafers/month. An extra 50,000 wafers/month will initially be in traditional 3D NAND. Once it establishes a customer base, it will ramp a novel architecture that it claims sports 30% lower cost per bit.If all goes well, the company aims to release its first chips in in a little more than two years. Miin Wu was in Silicon Valley recently to discuss with equipment makers details of key etch tools needed to make competitive 3D NAND parts.“Right now, all my R&D money is spent on 3D NAND,” said Miin Wu, noting that he expects to make his own controllers, too. “If I can build a 50,000-wafer capacity, I can compete and make money, but for our full ROI, we need multiples of that, so we will need to expand.”Macronix is not the only wannabe in the burgeoning market for 3D NAND. China’s Yangtze Memory Technology Co. aims to deliver 256-Gbit chips late next year supporting data rates up to 3.0 Gbits/s using a proprietary Xstacking technology. YMTC was founded in 2016 with a whopping $24 billion in funding, leveraging the 12-inch fabs of China’s XMC in Wuhan.YMTC plans to be in volume production of conventional 32-layer NAND chips by October. If all goes well, in a little more than a year, it could be producing chips at a rate of 100,000 wafers/month in the first phase of a new fab with a second phase planned to triple capacity, fueling plans to take 10% to 20% of the worldwide NAND market.It’s a big, risky bet to gain a position in a highly competitive field. Just last month, SK Hynix announced that it will sample before the end of the year a 512-Gbit version of its 96-layer chips and a Tbit version before June. Larger rivals Samsung and Toshiba are already shipping similar parts today. The top vendors, which include Micron, are said to be well on their way to cracking the 100-layer level with plans extending to hundreds of levels.Despite the heady competition, Macronix “has a good opportunity to focus on lower-density parts that major vendors obsolete — in a shortage, that’s a great place to be,” said analyst Jim Handy of Objective Analysis, who estimates that the flash market will hit $58 billion this year, up 23% over 2017.That’s the kind of position in trailing-edge memories that Macronix has traditionally pursued. This time around, however, Miin Wu said that he aims to deliver 3D NAND parts at the same density but lower costs as rivals.Handy said that the goal would challenge the Taiwan company’s business model that, to date, has focused more on high-mix, low-volume products. Success will also depend on the state of NAND ASPs, which have been declining from 27 cents/GByte to 20 cents/GB, noted Handy.“I believe that memory can be the other strength of Taiwan,” said Miin Wu, who founded Macronix in 1989, when TSMC was just two years old.Today, TSMC is producing state-of-the-art SoCs at 7 nm, while Macronix is best-known as a leader in older memory products such as NOR flash and ROMs made in 90- and 35-nm nodes. That said, Macronix has its share of innovations with more than 7,600 patents, said Miin Wu, who helped design the EEPROM while at Intel in the 1970s.Macronix plans a number of stops along the way to its 3D NAND dreams. It plans to sample 4-GByte eMMC NAND by the end of the year. It’s also driving NOR down to 1.2 V for low-power IoT chips with standby power measured in nanoamps.Nintendo remains its largest customer overall. In China, Huawei is its largest customer and likely one of the first to use its eMMC chips in products such as base stations.Macronix described its Single-Gate Vertical Channel architecture for 3D NAND at IEDM. Click to enlarge. (Source: Macronix)
Key word：
Release time：2018-09-19 00:00 reading：1082 Continue reading>>
Micron announces $3B investment in U.S. for DRAM and <span style='color:red'>NAND</span>
Trade news

Micron announces $3B investment in U.S. for DRAM and NAND

Micron Technology, Inc., (NASDAQ:MU) today announced plans to invest $3 billion by 2030 to increase memory production at its plant in Manassas, Virginia, creating 1,100 new jobs roughly over the next decade. These investments are contemplated in Micron’s long-term model to invest capital expenditure in the low thirties as a percent of revenue. The expansion will position the Manassas site — located about 40 miles west of Washington, D.C. — to support Micron’s leadership in the rapidly growing market for high quality, high reliability memory products.“Micron’s Manassas site manufactures our long-lifecycle products that are built using our mature process technologies, and primarily sold into the automotive, networking and industrial markets,” said Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra. “These products support a diverse set of applications such as industrial automation, drones, the IoT (Internet of Things) and in-vehicle experience applications for automotive. This business delivers strong profitability and stable, growing free cash flow. Micron is grateful for the extensive engagement of state and local officials since early this year to help bring our Manassas expansion to fruition. We are excited to increase our commitment to the community through the creation of new highly skilled jobs, expanded facilities and education initiatives.”“Micron’s expansion in the City of Manassas represents one of the largest manufacturing investments in the history of Virginia and will position the Commonwealth as a leader in unmanned systems and Internet of Things,” said Governor Northam. “This $3 billion investment will have a tremendous impact on our economy by creating 1,100 high-demand jobs, and solidifies Micron as one of the Commonwealth’s largest exporters. We thank Micron for choosing to deepen their roots in Virginia and look forward to partnering in their next chapter of major growth.”The initial clean room expansion is expected to be completed in the fall of 2019 with production ramp in the first half of 2020. This expansion will add less than 5% to Micron’s global clean room space footprint and will primarily support enablement of DRAM and NAND technology transitions as well as modest capacity increase at the site, in-line with growing customer demand for Micron’s long-lifecycle products.“As a leading global supplier of automotive electronics systems and components, ZF appreciates the long-standing support of Micron to our business,” said Karsten Mueller, vice president, Corporate Materials Management, Global Commodity Electronics at ZF Friedrichshafen AG. “Meeting the ever-increasing demands for automotive applications will require significantly greater memory as the dual trends of advanced safety and autonomy drive the industry forward. Micron’s decision to expand the manufacturing and R&D capabilities at this IATF-certified facility is another indication that this growth should only accelerate in the future.”As part of this expansion, Micron will also establish a global research development center in Manassas for the development of memory and storage solutions focused mainly on the automotive, industrial and networking markets. The research and development center will include laboratories, test equipment and a staff of approximately 100 engineers.The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) worked with the City of Manassas and the General Assembly’s Major Employment and Investment (MEI) Project Approval Commission to secure the project for Virginia. Micron will be eligible to receive an MEI custom performance grant of $70 million for site preparation and facility costs, subject to approval by the Virginia General Assembly. Additionally, the City of Manassas and utility partners are providing a broader, comprehensive support package to enable the expansion, including substantial infrastructure upgrades and additional incentives.
Key word：
Release time：2018-08-30 00:00 reading：1116 Continue reading>>
Global <span style='color:red'>NAND</span> Flash Revenue Rose by 3.5% QoQ in 2Q18
Trade news

Global NAND Flash Revenue Rose by 3.5% QoQ in 2Q18

DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, reports that the global NAND Flash market has stayed in oversupply since the traditional slow season in 1Q18, resulting in an average drop of 15~20% in NAND Flash contract prices in 2Q18. On the other hand, NAND Flash bit shipments bounced back in 2Q18 as Chinese smartphone brands stocked up on high-density products.Looking ahead to 3Q18, there are noticeable signs that the demand growth will be limited despite the contributions from the traditional busy season. Shipments of mainstream consumer electronics products such as smartphones and notebooks during 3Q18 are not expected to increase significantly. Also, memory module makers will be carrying high levels of inventory. Therefore, DRAMeXchange analyst Ben Yeh notes that the average selling prices of NAND Flash products are expected to drop further by nearly 10%.Yeh notes that the ASP drops are not totally negative news for the industry. While the persistent oversupply during 2Q18 inevitably led to a further decline in prices, mobile device manufacturers took the opportunity to raise the storage specifications of their devices. As the result, products of 128GB or higher capacity have reached a penetration rate of over 10%. In the second half of this year, Chinese smartphone makers such as OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi are expected to adopt uMCP actively, bringing the average content per box of mid-to-high-end smartphone models up to 256GB or even 512GB in 1H19.In the SSD market, the price reduction of NAND Flash would also improve the shipments of high-capacity (8TB, 16TB) applications for servers. The notebook market would see greater adoption of SSDs in computer systems, and the shares of those with 256/512GB SSDs would be expanding, up from current 128/256GB.SamsungThe increase in the density per device among Chinese branded smartphones and demand rebound in the server and data center market caused Samsung’s NAND Flash bit shipments to grow by 15% QoQ in 2Q18. However, Samsung’s NAND Flash ASP also suffered a drop of more than 10% QoQ on account of the general oversupply situation and the ongoing price decline for various products. The supplier’s 2Q18 NAND Flash revenue came to US$5.93 billion, showing a QoQ increase of 1.8%.SK HynixThe growth of SK Hynix’s bit shipments rebounded to 19% QoQ in 2Q18 due to returning demand from Chinese smartphone brands and strong SSD sales. Still, the general oversupply in the market caused the supplier’s ASP to drop by 9% QoQ. On the whole, SK Hynix’s 2Q18 NAND Flash revenue rose by 11.8% QoQ to US$1.73 billion. Furthermore, the demand related to the upcoming iPhone devices has started to contribute to SK Hynix’s bit shipments since the end of 2Q18. Also, SK Hynix’s 72-layer 3D NAND products are also gaining traction in the SSD market and are forecast to account for more than 50% of the supplier’s Enterprise SSD shipments by the end of this year.ToshibaThe demand recovery in the smartphone market and SSD sales also helped Toshiba in 2Q18. Although the supplier adjusted product shipments in response to the high inventories carried by memory module makers, its bit shipments for 2Q18 still grew by more than 10% QoQ. Toshiba’s ASP, however, registered a QoQ decline that slightly exceeded 5% due to falling contract prices for wafers, SSDs, and eMMC/UFS products. Given these developments, Toshiba’s 2Q18 NAND Flash revenue advanced by 3.3% QoQ in 2Q18 to US$3.14 billion.Western DigitalWestern Digital’s NAND Flash bit shipments climbed up by about 5% QoQ in 2Q18 because of sales gains in the SSD and retail markets. However, declining prices in the channel and SSD markets also resulted in a QoQ drop of 4% in ASP. Western Digital’s NAND Flash revenue totaled US$2.37 billion, up by 0.3% QoQ.At its latest conference call, Western Digital especially noted that it has been discussing with Toshiba about the future CAPEX plans in light of the recent market developments. Hence, there is a possibility that the Toshiba-Western Digital alliance will slow down the pace of capacity building to prevent the worsening of the oversupply situation. How this alliance proceeds with capacity expansion may influence other suppliers’ decisions in this area as well.MicronMicron’s sales of high-density products for the mobile application nearly doubled in 2Q18 thanks to smartphone brands upgrading their devices. This result also led to changes in Micron’s strategy – the company will focus more on increasing the shipment share of mobile memory solutions while scaling back the shipment shares of chips and wafers that go to the channel market. Micron posted stellar sales result in the SSD market as well. In addition to raising the sales of Enterprise SSDs, the supplier will be promoting QLC 3D-NAND SSDs to further boost its high-density product shipments. Micron’s 2Q18 NAND Flash revenue rose by 7.6% QoQ to US$1.94 billion.IntelIn 2Q18, Intel still maintained a QoQ growth of more than 15% in its NAND Flash bit shipments on account of the steady growth of its server SSD sales. However, a greater part of the 2Q18 server SSD shipments is made up of low-price products due to the imbalance in Intel’s product mix. This actually led to a QoQ drop surpassing 6% in the supplier’s NAND Flash ASP. Intel nevertheless kept its NAND Flash revenue above the US$1 billion mark in 2Q18, posting an increase of 6.8% QoQ to US$1.08 billion.Intel also continues to work on its 3D XPoint and will likely be its leading advocate after the split with Micron. However, getting more customers to adopt this technology will be much more difficult if there is no other partner willing to invest in it.
Key word：
Release time：2018-08-17 00:00 reading：1323 Continue reading>>

Turn to

/ 4

Popular categories
Semiconductors Circuit Protection Electromechanical Embedded Solutions Connectors, Interconnects Sensors, Transducers Optoelectronics Development Kits Test and Measurement Power Fans, Thermal Management Boxes, Enclosures, Racks Cables, Wires Passive Components Others
  • Week of hot material
  • Material in short supply seckilling
model brand Quote
CDZVT2R20B ROHM Semiconductor
BD71847AMWV-E2 ROHM Semiconductor
TL431ACLPR Texas Instruments
RB751G-40T2R ROHM Semiconductor
MC33074DR2G onsemi
model brand To snap up
BP3621 ROHM Semiconductor
BU33JA2MNVX-CTL ROHM Semiconductor
TPS63050YFFR Texas Instruments
IPZ40N04S5L4R8ATMA1 Infineon Technologies
ESR03EZPJ151 ROHM Semiconductor
STM32F429IGT6 STMicroelectronics
Hot labels
ROHM
IC
Averlogic
Intel
Samsung
IoT
AI
Sensor
Chip
Original authorized brand
More Licensed Brands>>
Information leaderboard
  • Week of ranking
  • Month ranking

About us

Qr code of ameya360 official account

Identify TWO-DIMENSIONAL code, you can pay attention to

AMEYA360 mall (www.ameya360.com) was launched in 2011. Now there are more than 3,500 high-quality suppliers, including 6 million product model data, and more than 1 million component stocks for purchase. Products cover MCU+ memory + power chip +IGBT+MOS tube + op amp + RF Bluetooth + sensor + resistor capacitance inductor + connector and other fields. main business of platform covers spot sales of electronic components, BOM distribution and product supporting materials, providing one-stop purchasing and sales services for our customers.

Please enter the verification code in the image below：

verification code