Although global notebook shipments are seeing less impact from tablets, PC shipments in the second half of 2014 are still expected to suffer an on-year drop, which will cause DRAM module shipments to drop 20% on year in 2014, according to Digitimes Research.

Additionally, bit demand for DRAM chips from PC vendors and DRAM module makers has reduced significantly due to rapidly rising DRAM chip prices resulting from a fire at the Wuxi plant of SK Hynix in 2013 and the absence of capacity ramps by major suppliers.

Affected by declining PC and DRAM module shipments as well as slowing bit growth in DRAM chips for discrete PC systems, the global bit-growth rate of standard DRAM chips is expected to edge up only 2.7% in 2014, the lowest growth rate since 2010, Digitimes Research estimated.

The bit-growth rate of DRAM chips for desktops will grow the highest at 12.7% on year in 2014, while the rate of bit-growth for notebook DRAM will increase 1.8%. However, demand from the DRAM module sector will decline 14.6% from a year earlier.