The production value of South Korea's memory chip industry edged up 1.7% sequentially to KRW9.92 trillion (US$9.3 billion) in the first quarter of 2014, driven by a sequential 20% growth in shipments of DRAM chips by SK Hynix in the quarter, according Digitimes Research.

　　Meanwhile, contributions made by SamsungElectronics and SK Hynix to the industry's total production value in the first quarter also rebounded the levels posted in the third quarter of 2013, Digitimes Research noted.

　　DRAM chips accounted for 69.8% of all memory chips produced in South Korea in the first quarter, the highest in the past three years and also representing a rise of 2.9pp from 66.9% a quarter earlier.

　　Combined operating profits of Samsung and SK Hynix reached KRW3.01 trillion in the first quarter of 2014, up 8.3% sequentially and 117% on year. However,Hynix's operating margin was higher than that of Samsung's as earnings at Samsung have continued to be affected by operations of its non-memory business units.

　　Korea's memory chipmakers are expected to see their sales increase significantly in the second quarter of 2014 as smartphone vendors have pulled in more orders for memory products for models to be released in the third quarter as well as for rising demand from the tablet sector.

　　Samsung will continue to account for a majority share in the mobile memory segment, while Hynix is expected to ramp up shipments of its mobile DRAM and NAND flash chips in the second quarter, Digitimes Research noted.