DRAM contract price has maintained flat with a mild raise in both DDR2 and DDR3 segments amid inventory buildups at some PC OEMs/ODMs, according to inSpectrum.
Contract prices for mainstream 2GB DDR2 was up 0.2% to US$41.10 and DDR3 up 2.5% to US$45, translating to US$2.44 and US$2.69 per Gb, inSpectrum recorded.
Despite contract prices for DDR2 posting a mild increase, inSpectrum stressed that leading PC OEMs are aggressively cutting their procurements in the wake of a complete DDR2-DDR3 crossover. Only some smaller-scale PC OEMs/ODMs are being forced to take DDR2 at a higher price due to a relatively weak support from vendors, the firm added.
Whereas for the DDR3 segment, price growth is being driven by inventory build at some PC OEMs, though their procurement amounts are not critical to drive stronger momentum. Most big PC OEMs are still able to settle prices flat, while smaller-scale players have to take chips at higher prices.
inSpectrum noted that a stronger price upside is getting difficult as PC OEMs have growing concerns about escalating BOM costs. Also, concerns of weaker notebook shipments, plus memory content cuts, are still looming over the memory market, leaving vendors hesitant to push prices higher.
For the DRAM spot market, inventory dumping among some traders continued into this week (May 3-7).