Global sales of mobile dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips used in mobile devices reached record high levels in the first quarter of this year, market data showed Tuesday.

According to DRAMeXchange, the worldwide market for DRAMs reached US$8.43 billion in the three-month period, up 5.3 percent from a year earlier.

Of the total sold, South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix accounted for some 80 percent of all chips sold, said the market research company, which tracks sales and prices.

It said Samsung and SK hynix maintained their control thanks to their technological edge.

Samsung's sales topped $4.76 billion, while the number for SK hynix stood at $2.12 billion, allowing their overall market share to stand at 56.5 percent and 25.2 percent, respectively.

U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology Inc. followed at $1.48 billion in sales and a market share of 16.7 percent, with Nanya Technology Corp. and Winbond Electronics Corp. making the top five list.

The chip researcher said Samsung firmly held the No. 1 spot despite a probe by China's National Development and Reform Commission.

The latest reports said that while sales and the unit price of mobile chips were initially expected to fall off in the second-quarter release of new smartphones by Chinese firms, such as Oppo Electronics Corp., Vivo Communication Technology Co., Xiaomi Tech and Huawei Technologies Co., were all fueling demand.

It said the use of the latest mobile chips in Apple Inc.'s latest smartphones is further bolstering sales and prices.

The market researcher then predicted that at the present pace the mobile DRAM market as a whole will continue to grow and could reach new highs this year.

Echoing this view, local industry watchers said there is strong demand not only for mobile devices but servers and that sales should continue to expand going forward.

"Under such circumstances, the existing market presence of Samsung and SK hynix should give the companies a clear advantage over rivals," he said.

By: DocMemory
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