Taiwan vendors sign-on with Samsung for NAND flash

“The average consumer?s demand for mobile storage will top 100GB by 2007 ? a five-fold increase from current levels ? as a wider variety of consumer electronics applications and richer content become available on the market in the next few years, according to Chang-Gyu Hwang, president of Memory Division, Device Solution Network of Samsung Electronics.

Anticipating the marked increase in demand, several Taiwan-based DRAM module makers recently signed long-term contracts with Samsung to guarantee NAND flash supply, sources indicated.

Since 2001, consumers? need for mobile storage has grown from about 1GB to 20GB, with most of the increase coming from devices utilizing flash memory, Hwang said. Demand for mobile devices is now the major driving force in the semiconductor business, and the market value of the segment will match the PC segment by 2007, Hwang added.

In addition, Huang believes NAND flash will be the memory product benefiting most from the growth in mobile storage. Citing the example of smart phones, Huang pointed out that the demand for NAND flash used in these products will grow 21% this year, while demand for NOR flash will grow only 8% and DRAM and SRAM will see only 6% growth in the smart phone segment.”