Buyers reentered the US DRAM spot market on Tuesday. Several discussions were detected but completed deals remained elusive. Sources were cautiously optimistic that demand would continue to grow as the week progressed. Historically, orders for both discretes and boards have increased during the second half of July in advance of back-to-school demand. This year, market observers had speculated that higher demand would not become evident until early August. DDR products continued to garner the most attention from prospective buyers but inquiries for SDRAM memory were also on the rise.

Prices in the Asian market have remained flat for the third day with low trading activity noted in the major trading centres of Hong Kong and Taiwan. Demand has yet to increase as anticipated, which market players attribute in part to the summer vacation in Europe. The benchmark DDR 400 32x8 chips are traded at a steady USD 4.74-4.75/chip, major brands. Similar density first-tier DDR 266/333 32x8 components continue to change hands at USD 4.60- 4.65/chip, respectively, against higher offers at USD 4.65-4.95/chip, major brands.

In Europe, calm continues to reign in the DDR market as spot demand is soft and numbers are stable. Although, some report firmer interest from contract buyers due to the back-to-school build. 1H July contract prices for DDR 400 products are said to be close to spot values. 256MB DDR 400 modules are quoted at USD 41-42/module and 32x8 are heard above USD 5/chip for major brands. Another participant indicates DDR 333 and DDR 400 values are inching closer. Initial price indications for next generation DDR, DDR2, are heard. A distributor claims to have sold 256MB DDR2 400 MHZ at USD 56/module for original make and USD 113/module for 512MB. Tier-1 DDR2 533 MHZ have been traded at USD 73/module for 256MB and USD 147-148/module for 512MB. Players anticipate increased business for DDR2 from September.

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved