Phison Electronics, a memory controller IC supplier that also makes NAND flash devices, has reported net profits of NT$419 million (US$13 million) for the first quarter of 2010 compared to profits of NT$729 million in the prior quarter and NT$449 million a year earlier. The earnings for the first quarter translated into an EPS of NT$2.85, slightly missing market watchers' estimates of over NT$3.
Phison maintained its first-quarter gross margin in the double digits, but the margin slid to 10% from 18% in the same quarter of 2009.
In other news, late April contract quotes for 16Gb multi-level cell (MLC) chips have dropped 0-3% sequentially to average US$4, while prices for 32Gb parts decreased by 1-2% to US$7.42 on average, according to Report. Prices for 8Gb MLC chips remained flat at US$3.93 for the latter half of the month.