Samsung Electronics managed to grow its already commanding share of the DRAM market in the fourth quarter of 2010.
With preliminary results in, DRAM revenues for Sasmung amounted to US$3.6 billion in the fourth quarter, equivalent to 41.7% share of a US$8.7 billion market. And though revenues in Samsung's case dropped during that quarter - as it did for all DRAM companies, without exception - Samsung's share actually rose 1pp compared to the third quarter, when total market revenues hit US$10.7 billion.
Samsung retained its perch at the top of the DRAM heap as last year came to a close, with seven other companies fighting for the remaining three-fifths of the market. Samsung's positive performance was in direct contrast to a declining DRAM market, in which ASP tumbled more than 28% in the final quarter of 2010.
Another winner during the quarter was fourth-place Micron Technology, whose revenues dipped only 3% for the period. Micron finally began to see significant shipments being counted from its purchase of a stake in Taiwan's Inotera Memories a few years ago. Its market share edged up to 12.5% in the fourth quarter from 10.5% in the third.
Other noteworthy players included second-place Hynix Semiconductor, which has held approximately 22% market share for eight consecutive quarters; and third-ranked Elpida Memory, which suffered the biggest drop in revenues in the fourth quarter, down 35% to US$1.1 billion and 13% share.
Samsung and Micron appear poised to extend their market share progress, but it is not clear if Taiwan-based Nanya and Elpida will be able to attain meaningful market share gains, given the commodity nature of the products in question.
Nanya, like Micron, takes shipments from its stake in Inotera, and Elpida brands DRAM made by rival Powerchip as its own.
As the dynamic DRAM industry continues its wild and volatile ride, market share among companies when this year ends will be significantly different from that of 2010.