April 30, 2012 — Micron Technology Inc. and Hynix Semiconductor Inc. achieved strong NAND flash business globally in Q4 2011, thanks to solid manufacturing and pricing. The chipmakers gained market share on the NAND Flash industry leaders Samsung and Toshiba, and will continue to grow in 2012, reports IHS in its IHS iSuppli Data Flash Market Tracker.
Overall, the NAND Flash memory market contracted 2.8% from Q3 to Q4 (Q/Q). Segment leader Samsung saw a 4.6% revenue decline Q/Q. Toshiba’s NAND Flash revenues fell 12.3% in the same period. Micron, ranked third in NAND Flash memory by revenue, achieved 11.7% revenue growth Q/Q, adding 2.6% market share to 19.6%. Hynix, ranked #4, expanded its revenue by 5.4% Q/Q, adding 1.1% market share to 13.3%.
Table. Worldwide Flash market share by branded revenue. (Revenue in Millions of US Dollars). SOURCE: IHS iSuppli April 2012.
|
Q4 ’11 Rank |
Company |
Q1 ’10 Revenue |
Q3 ’11 Revenue |
Q3 ’11 Share |
Q4 ’11 Revenue |
Q4 ’11 Share |
Q4 ’11 Sequential Growth |
Q4 ’11 Annual Growth |
|
1 |
Samsung |
$1,680 |
$2,028 |
39.1% |
$1,934 |
38.3% |
-4.6% |
15.1% |
|
2 |
Toshiba |
$1,475 |
$1,632 |
31.4% |
$1,432 |
28.4% |
-12.3% |
-2.9% |
|
3 |
Micron |
$526 |
$884 |
17.0% |
$987 |
19.6% |
11.7% |
87.6% |
|
4 |
Hynix |
$396 |
$635 |
12.2% |
$669 |
13.3% |
5.4% |
68.9% |
|
5 |
Powerchip |
$6 |
$12 |
0.2% |
$26 |
0.5% |
116.7% |
333.3% |
|
|
Other |
$276 |
$0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
0.0% |
NA |
NA |
|
|
Total Revenue |
$4,359 |
$5,191 |
100.0% |
$5,048 |
100.0% |
-2.8% |
15.8% |
Micron and Hynix kept NAND Flash production at high levels, “avoiding any production issues in the fourth quarter,” said Michael Yang, senior principal analyst for memory and storage at IHS. Average selling prices (ASPs) for their chips therefore remained high. By contrast, Samsung and Toshiba “throttled back production,” concerned about a NAND oversupply.” While Toshiba suffered the largest decline in Q4 2011, IHS notes that Toshiba had already recovered from the 3/11 Japan earthquake. The decline resulted from Toshiba’s decision to reduce NAND supply.
Year-over-year (Y/Y), Micron’s NAND Flash revenue grew 88%; Hynix’s grew 69%.
In 2012, Hynix is planning higher capital expenditures than the industry average, signaling a move to increase its NAND segment share.
Also read: Hynix brings NAND Flash memory to NOR maker Spansion
IHS (NYSE: IHS) provides information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape today’s business landscape. Access reports at www.ihs.com.