Elpida (TYO:6665) to Strongly Boost Its DDR3 Output

Tokyo, Aug 3, 2009 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Japan's Elpida Memory Inc (TYO:6665) said Monday that it plans to more than double its output of advanced DRAM chips for high-speed computers and servers next month.

Elpida will boost output of its DDR3 chips to about 75,000 wafers per month starting in September, up from its current output of 20,000 to 30,000 wafers per month.

As spot prices of DDR3 chips are at about US$2.10, up around 30 percent from May, Elpida and rivals Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (SEO:005930) and Hynix Semiconductor Inc (SEO:000660) started to shift more weight to the new chips.

South Korean chipmakers including Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductors have exceeded 60 percent share in the global semiconductor market during the second quarter of this year.

South Korea accounted for 61 percent of major market shares for D-Ram in the second quarter of this year, up 2.9 percentage points from 58.1 percent in the first quarter of 2009, according to an analysis by Samsung Securities.
However, some changes could be made as Elpida and Taiwan's Nanya Technology (TPE:2408) have yet to release their second quarter earnings.

Meanwhile, market share of three Taiwanese manufacturers, including Powerchip (TPO:5346), ProMOS (TPO:5387) and Nanya Technology was found to have dropped to 13.8 percent in Q2 2009, down 8.6 percentage points from 22.2 percent year-on-year.