Monthly Memory & Flash Market Watch

Samsung unveiled its updated fabrication technology roadmap at Samsung Foundry Forum (SFF) 2023

• The company is on track to produce chips on its 2nm and 1.4nm-class nodes in 2025 and 2027.

• Samsung intends to add a leading-edge 5nm-class radio frequency manufacturing process and start making gallium nitride (GaN) chips in the coming years.

• The strategic reallocation of resources between Kioxia and WDC could bolster the shipment volume of enterprise SSDs.

• WDC trims its capital investment in R&D team.

The company’s enterprise SSDs have lagged behind competitors with a notable decline in 2023 NAND flash profits, while its primary North American clients increasingly shift to in-house manufacturing.

SK Hynix begins mass production on 176-Layer to 238-Layer 4D NAND Flash.

• 238-layer process has 50% improvement on transfer speed (up to 2.4Gb/s) comparing to 176-layer, and 20% better RW speed.

• As the smallest NAND size, 238-layer has a 34% higher manufacturing efficiency compared to 176-layer.

• The company is planning to expand 238-layer technology across high-capacity server SSDs after adoption on smartphones.

The U.S. government is contemplating further restricting sales of AI processors to Chinese companies

The government is deliberating the possibility of imposing constraints on the lease of cloud services from giants including Micron and Amazon.

SUPPLY TREND

WW SSD Shipment

Q3 worldwide SSD shipment is expected to have higher grow rate than 2Q23.

WW DRAM Output

Q3 Global output is 9.4% lower than that of 3Q22, with a slight drop in quantity from 2Q23 numbers.

NAND Flash 512Gb TLC Contract Price and Sufficiency, 2022 - 2023

NAND Sufficiency: NAND Flash stock level is expected to fall significantly starting from Q3.
Price Trend: NAND Flash price trend almost equal to contract low and seems to be bottoming out.

DDR4 8Gb 1G*8 3200MHz ASP and Sufficiency , 2022-2023

DRAM Sufficiency: DRAM oversupply status exhibited significant improvement in 2H23.
Price Trend: D4 8Gb contract price has entered a death cross over spot price low, and will remain below that line until 4Q23.

SUPPLY SIGNAL

	Type	Supply	Price
DRAM Module	DDR3	●	▂
	DDR4	●	▂
	DDR5	●	▂
Flash Storage	SLC	●	▂
	MLC	●	▂
	3D TLC (BiCS3) *Limited Supply. We encourage you to migrate to BiCS4 and BiCS5	●	▂
	3D TLC (BiCS4)	●	▂
	3D TLC (BiCS5)	●	▂

● Smooth supply ● Tight supply ▂ Flat ▲ Upward trend ▼ Downward trend

WORK WITH ADATA

Looking towards the third quarter, we expect a gradual recovery in memory prices, particularly in the DDR module category. Nevertheless, it is crucial to acknowledge that market fluctuations could lead to reduced clarity regarding pricing and supply.

To effectively manage this situation, we are being cautious in accepting contract frame orders. We strongly advise you to engage in a discussion with your account manager regarding your Q3/Q4 demand. This will allow us to plan accordingly, ensuring the best possible pricing and allocation for your needs.

Monthly Memory & Flash Market Watch