The proportion of DRAM output for PC use is expected to drop to less than 50% in 2012 due to fast growing demand for Mobile RAM used in smartphones and tablets as well as DRAM used in servers for cloud computing applications, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

Contract prices for PC-use DRAM are on the decline, for example, those for a 4GB DRAM module fell to US$16 in late September and those for 8GB modules will further drop in the fourth quarter, the sources indicated. Spot market prices for 2Gb eTT DDR3 chips have slipped to US$0.65, the sources pointed out.

The proportion of DRAM output for Mobile RAM and server-use DRAM in 2013 will exceed 40%, the sources cited TrendForce as indicating.

While Samsung Electronics, Micron Technology and SK Hynix have been shifting production to Mobile RAM, server-use and market-niche DRAM, Taiwan-based DRAM makers have lagged behind in such a shift because certification by device vendors takes from three months to one year, the sources pointed out. Because of such a slow shift, Taiwan-based Nanya Technology, Inotera Memories, Powerchip Technology and Rexchip Electronics are expected to further decrease their production of PC-use DRAM, the sources indicated.