Contract prices for DRAM chips are set to be flat in the current second quarter of 2011, and will likely trend upward in the third and fourth quarters, according to Kingston Technology.
Kingston said it has so far seen little impact on the worldwide DRAM industry supply chain from the recent disasters in Japan. There are rumors of shortages of manufacturing-use raw materials, such as silicon wafers, circulating in the market.
As for NAND flash, Kingston said that there is slight undersupply of the memory at present. But as the second quarter is the traditional off-peak season, demand may soften, Kingston indicated.
Kingston anticipates that the supply of NAND chips will become increasingly tight in the long run, as tablets and other new applications help create huge demand for the memory.
In addition, Kingston views China, India and other emerging markets as the company's growth driver in terms of geographic breakdown.