According to DRAMeXchange, a research company which tracks prices of DRAM modules and flash memory, increases in contract rates from major RAM manufacturers have sent up DDR2 prices 18 percent from the second half of January.
Korea-based Samsung and Hynix, which combined hold 40 percent of the world's DRAM market, both raised their contract prices this month due to capacity concerns. Hynix hiked prices 5-10 percent, while Samsung, which chose not to give specific numbers, raised prices "significantly" according to statements by company officials in a recent Bloomberg report. Taiwanese manufacturers Nanya Technology and ProMOS raised rates in the arena of 20 percent, reflecting what ProMOS called "insufficient supply."
The shortages could be a major concern with AMD making the leap to DDR2 this year with its Socket AM2 platform. Intel made the jump with its 9xx chipsets in 2004.
News source: DigiTimes
