Arguably it's been at such an all-time low that I'm glad to see it rise a little for the sake of the ODMs. But pricing of DDR3 memory is set to rise. Following sharp price reductions, the trend is now reversing as DRAM makers are cutting production and allocating more capacity to mobile DRAM and server memory. Contract quotes for 4GB DDR3 modules came at between US$17 and US$17.50 in the first half of January, DRAMeXchange data shows.
A combination of supply-side factors, such as a cutback in production of PC DRAM and more capacity allocated for mobile DRAM and server-use memory, lifted the early January quotes by almost 10%. DRAM contract prices will continue their upward trend in February, driven mainly by the supply side, the sources indicated. Thanks to the price rally, suppliers that remain in the red will have a good chance of returning to profitability in 2013, the sources believe.
