[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] The global semiconductor supply shortage combined with increased demand for server DRAM from cloud service providers is causing signs of price increases across the memory semiconductor market.
According to global market research firm DRAMeXchange on the 1st, the average fixed transaction price for 32Gb server DRAM in February was $119, up 3.48% from the previous month. The fixed price for 16Gb server DRAM averaged $68, rising 1.49% compared to the previous month.
Recently, DRAMeXchange revised its forecast upward, stating that server DRAM prices in the second quarter of this year are expected to increase by about 10-15% quarter-on-quarter. It also added that if demand continues through the third quarter, server DRAM prices could rise by more than 40% within the year.
According to industry sources, the price of 32Gb server DRAM has already started trading in the spot market at the $140 range since last week. Researcher Kim Sun-woo of Meritz Securities predicted, "Considering the price surge phenomenon in localized spot markets such as China, the rapidly rising server DRAM quotation prices, and the recent recovery in Chinese smartphone shipments, the pace of DRAM price development is expected to exceed market expectations."
Meanwhile, the fixed transaction prices for PC DRAM and NAND flash in February remained flat compared to the previous month, but signs of price increases are appearing as PC DRAM (DDR4 8Gb) prices in the spot market recently surpassed the $4 level for the first time in 4 years and 10 months.
The average fixed transaction price for 8Gb PC DRAM in February was $3, and NAND flash was $4.2, both showing no change from the previous month. However, as of that day, the spot market price for 8Gb PC DRAM was recorded at $4.37.
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