Does China’s rapid chipmaking expansion threaten the global AI memory chip boom?
Times of India | India's smartphone market is going ‘premium,’ but not entirely by choice
AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information.
India's smartphone market grew 5.8% in value in Q1 2026 despite a 4.1% drop in shipments, as the average selling price hit a record $302, driven largely by a collapse of phones under $100, which fell 59% year‑on‑year due to soaring DRAM and NAND costs that pushed memory to up to 20% of a low‑end phone’s bill of materials. This forced many budget models out of the market, pushing buyers into the $100‑200 segment, which absorbed the displaced demand and grew 10% to 45% of shipments. While premium bands ($400‑$800) also expanded, the overall “up‑market” narrative is partly a supply‑side effect rather than pure consumer choice. Brands felt the squeeze unevenly: OPPO, Motorola and Samsung held or gained share, whereas low‑cost players such as realme, Poco, iQOO and OnePlus saw steep declines, limited by rising component prices that curtailed aggressive discounting and online flash‑sale tactics. The memory shortage, driven by AI server demand, is expected to persist into 2027, likely keeping smartphone prices elevated across all segments.
#Oppo #Motorola #Samsung #Apple #realme #Poco #iQOO #OnePlus #DRAM #NANDflash #
The AI memory super-cycle has a shadow story.
While headlines track HBM allocation and DDR5 contract resets, 2D NAND prices just spiked 2–3× in the corner of the market that powers automotive ECUs, factory PLCs, network switches, and medical devices.
What happened: Samsung announced MLC NAND end-of-life with final shipments in June 2026. Micron, SK hynix, and Kioxia capped legacy output. TrendForce projects worldwide MLC capacity dropping ~42% YoY in 2026.
What's filling the vacuum: Macronix Q1 2026 revenue +71% YoY, gross margin 40.8%, NAND revenue +382% YoY. Macronix moved customers from quarterly to monthly pricing. Winbond approved a record NT$42.1B 2026 capex and says capacity is booked through 2027.
Why it matters beyond embedded: legacy hardware residual values are inverting. Decommissioned switches, storage controllers, automation gear, and test instruments built ~2014–2022 are shifting from "candidate for shred" to "candidate for harvest and resale."
#NANDFlash #MemoryShortage #ITAD#MLCNAND #SLCNAND #2DNAND #EmbeddedMemory #FlashMemory #Macronix #Winbond #Samsung #Micron #SKHynix #Kioxia #AIInfrastructure #HBM #DRAM #DataCenter #AIMemory
The AI memory super-cycle has a shadow story.
2D NAND — the planar flash inside automotive ECUs, PLCs, switches, and medical devices — just spiked 2–3× as Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix exited. Macronix moved customers to monthly contracts. Winbond booked through 2027.
#NANDFlash #MemoryShortage #ITAD#MLCNAND #SLCNAND #2DNAND #EmbeddedMemory #FlashMemory #Macronix #Winbond #Samsung #Micron #SKHynix #Kioxia #AIInfrastructure #HBM #DRAM #DataCenter #AIMemory
The AI memory super-cycle has a shadow story.
While headlines track HBM allocation and DDR5 contract resets, 2D NAND prices just spiked 2–3× in the corner of the market that powers automotive ECUs, factory PLCs, network switches, and medical devices.
What happened: Samsung announced MLC NAND end-of-life with final shipments in June 2026. Micron, SK hynix, and Kioxia capped legacy output. TrendForce projects worldwide MLC capacity dropping ~42% YoY in 2026.
What's filling the vacuum: Macronix Q1 2026 revenue +71% YoY, gross margin 40.8%, NAND revenue +382% YoY. Macronix moved customers from quarterly to monthly pricing. Winbond approved a record NT$42.1B 2026 capex and says capacity is booked through 2027.
Why it matters beyond embedded: legacy hardware residual values are inverting. Decommissioned switches, storage controllers, automation gear, and test instruments built ~2014–2022 are shifting from "candidate for shred" to "candidate for harvest and resale."
https://www.buysellram.com/blog/the-other-memory-crisis-2d-nand-prices-spike-2-3x-as-samsung-micron-and-sk-hynix-walk-away/
#NANDFlash #MemoryShortage #ITAD#MLCNAND #SLCNAND #2DNAND #EmbeddedMemory #FlashMemory #Macronix #Winbond #Samsung #Micron #SKHynix #Kioxia #AIInfrastructure #HBM #DRAM #DataCenter #AIMemory #technology
The AI memory super-cycle has a shadow story.
While headlines track HBM allocation and DDR5 contract resets, 2D NAND prices just spiked 2–3× in the corner of the market that powers automotive ECUs, factory PLCs, network switches, and medical devices.
What happened: Samsung announced MLC NAND end-of-life with final shipments in June 2026. Micron, SK hynix, and Kioxia capped legacy output. TrendForce projects worldwide MLC capacity dropping ~42% YoY in 2026.
What's filling the vacuum: Macronix Q1 2026 revenue +71% YoY, gross margin 40.8%, NAND revenue +382% YoY. Macronix moved customers from quarterly to monthly pricing. Winbond approved a record NT$42.1B 2026 capex and says capacity is booked through 2027.
#NANDFlash #MemoryShortage #ITAD#MLCNAND #SLCNAND #2DNAND #EmbeddedMemory #FlashMemory #Macronix #Winbond #Samsung #Micron #SKHynix #Kioxia #AIInfrastructure #HBM #DRAM #DataCenter #AIMemory
The AI memory super-cycle has a shadow story.
2D NAND — the planar flash inside automotive ECUs, PLCs, switches, and medical devices — just spiked 2–3× as Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix exited. Macronix moved customers to monthly contracts. Winbond booked through 2027.
#NANDFlash #MemoryShortage #ITAD#MLCNAND #SLCNAND #2DNAND #EmbeddedMemory #FlashMemory #Macronix #Winbond #Samsung #Micron #SKHynix #Kioxia #AIInfrastructure #HBM #DRAM #DataCenter #AIMemory
The AI memory super-cycle has a shadow story.
2D NAND — the planar flash inside automotive ECUs, PLCs, switches, and medical devices — just spiked 2–3× as Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix exited. Macronix moved customers to monthly contracts. Winbond booked through 2027.
#NANDFlash #MemoryShortage #ITAD#MLCNAND #SLCNAND #2DNAND #EmbeddedMemory #FlashMemory #Macronix #Winbond #Samsung #Micron #SKHynix #Kioxia #AIInfrastructure #HBM #DRAM #DataCenter #AIMemory #tech
The AI memory super-cycle has a shadow story.
2D NAND — the planar flash inside automotive ECUs, PLCs, switches, and medical devices — just spiked 2–3× as Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix exited. Macronix moved customers to monthly contracts. Winbond booked through 2027.
#NANDFlash #MemoryShortage #ITAD#MLCNAND #SLCNAND #2DNAND #EmbeddedMemory #FlashMemory #Macronix #Winbond #Samsung #Micron #SKHynix #Kioxia #AIInfrastructure #HBM #DRAM #DataCenter #AIMemory
Upgrading a MacBook Neo Using a 1 TB iPhone NAND Flash