DRAMs in the second quarter
Strong price increase
The price of DDR4 1 Gb memory has skyrocketed by 25 percent compared to the first quarter of 2021, according to Trendforce.
That's even more than the nearly 20 percent increase Trendforce analysts had predicted.
Now they predict DRAM prices will rise across the board. In addition to DDR3/4 types, this includes DRAMs for mobile devices, graphics DRAMs and especially server DRAMs, whose prices will rise more than initially thought. As a result, Trendforce predicts that average prices for DRAMs will increase by 18 to 22 percent in the second quarter of 2021.
DRAM manufacturers and PC OEMs are currently negotiating contract prices for the second quarter, Trendforce observed. Prices would also rise now because PC manufacturers are aggressively increasing their production targets. In addition, PC ODMs would increase production by nearly 8 percent in the second quarter. Finally, the Corona pandemic would ensure that much work-from-home and distance learning would continue.
DRAMs for servers were already enjoying brisk demand in the first quarter of 2021, and there had already been a supply shortfall. That would intensify in the second quarter, which is why prices would climb 20 to 25 percent in that quarter.
