08-18-2018, 01:40 AM
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/dram-m...37627.html
Despite the factors listed here, I wonder if the Chinese government's price fixing investgation has something to do with this.
Despite the factors listed here, I wonder if the Chinese government's price fixing investgation has something to do with this.
Quote:Market analysis firm DRAMeXchange says memory prices could drop 15-25% in 2019. Contract negotiations with DRAM suppliers have begun for the fourth quarter, and while prices of PC RAM have remained steady, pricing for graphics memory has begun to recede amidst signs of softening DRAM demand across the board.
The industry is quickly transitioning to new, smaller 1X/1Y RAM nodes that have higher density, but demand is simultaneously flattening. That sets the stage for a pricing slump. Additional fab capacity has also come online, and SK Hynix's new Wuxi fab will begin pumping out bits in 2019. Chinese regulators have also recently met with memory vendors, like Micron and Samsung, to express concerns about the continuing shortage among fears of price fixing, but the impact of those talks on the supply situation remains unclear.
Graphics DRAM pricing has been one of the prime contributors to the recent graphics card shortage, though cryptominers also played a key role in boosting demand beyond supply. The crypto craze has finally petered out as the price of cryptocurrencies plunge at coin exchanges, and the sudden drop in demand has surely had a role in reduced graphics memory pricing.