Contract quotes for DRAM chips continued to fall in the first half of July, with the price of 2GB DDR3 modules dropping 2-4% to US$44. However, some module makers and IC distributors are offering the same density DRAM module parts at US$40 or as low as US$37-38 per unit, according to industry sources.
Prices for DDR3 parts are likely to drop further in the second half of 2010 due to capacity ramp by DRAM makers using advanced processes.
While Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor are migrating into 40nm process, Micron Technology, Nanya Technology and Inotera Memories are rolling out more chips at the 50nm node.
Meanwhile, Powerchip Technology has migrated into 63nm process and plans to move into 45nm in the fourth quarter of 2010, the sources added.
However, prices for DDR2 chips are expected to remain stable in the second half due to decreased output from makers.