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Toshiba announced on September 20 that the company has agreed to sell its memory business, Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC) to a U.S.-Japanese consortium represented by U.S. private equity firm Bain Capita for JPY 2 trillion (USD 18 billion). According to DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, the deal will start to have a notable impact on the NAND Flash market in the first half of 2018 as the negotiations took longer than expected. From a medium- to long-term perspective, this deal will inject the necessary capital into TMC so that it can work to become a rival to Samsung in terms of NAND Flash technology and production capacity.
DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, forecasts that the global DRAM supply for 2018 will show an annual bit growth of just 19.6%, which is another low in recent years. The global top three major DRAM suppliers – Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron – are now in the midst of their capacity planning for 2018. DRAMeXchange points out that all three suppliers tend to be conservative with regard to next year’s capital outlays. They have opted to slow down their capacity expansions and technology migrations so that they can keep next year’s prices at the same high level as during this year’s second half. Doing so will also help them to sustain a strong profit margin.
Major technology companies have been developing solutions and platforms for 3D sensing, which is expected to be featured on the upcoming iPhone devices. Market intelligence TrendForce anticipates that from 2017 onward, the market for 3D sensing solutions used in mobile devices will witness leaping growth. The total value of the global market for 3D sensing modules used in mobile devices is estimated to reach US$1.5 billion in 2017 and is forecast to grow at a massive CAGR of 209% to around US$14 billion in 2020. Note that the 3D sensing module that is being discussed includes IR transmitter and receiver components.
This year, numerous sections of the IT supply chain including IC, IP development, EDA and OS have rolled out next-generation products and platforms for applications related to artificial intelligence (AI). According to market intelligence firm TrendForce, AI will create new market opportunities as well as upgrading the fabrication process for semiconductor manufacturers. With AI becoming a major growth contributor, TrendForce forecasts that the global revenue from semiconductor chip sales will grow at a CAGR of 3.1% from 2018 to 2022.
DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, reports that the global sales revenue of DRAM modules for 2016 totaled US$6.9 billion, amounting to a decline of about 12% compared with the result of the previous year. The depressed PC DRAM prices during the first half of 2016 and the continuing contraction of the DIY market were the main factors behind the revenue drop.
