China’s DRAM consumption hit $10.2 billion in 2014

DRAMeXchange recently reported that nearly 5 billion DRAM chips from the 2GB category have been consumed in China, accounting for 19.2% of the world’s total DRAM output.

More specifically, China’s PC DRAM consumption currently stands at approximately 15%, with mobile DRAM on track to gradually replace PC DRAM as the mainstream (DRAM) category due to steadily increasing smartphone and tablet sales.

It should be noted that China already accounts for 28% of mobile DRAM’s overall bit demand. According to TrendForce, the importance of China’s economic development to the entire DRAM industry is expected to become more apparent in 2015 as the above-mentioned proportion rises to over 40%.

As we’ve previously discussed on Rambus Press, DRAM revenue continues to lead all semiconductors in 2014 with revenue growth of 26% – and is projected to reach all-time revenue high of $44 billion for the year.

Loren Shalinsky, a Strategic Development Director at Rambus, confirmed that the demand for DRAM has only increased over the years. To be sure, DRAM is packed into an increasingly wide range of devices including Maker and dev boards, smartphones, tablets, wearables, servers, traditional PCs and laptops.

“In addition to illustrating China’s ever-increasing silicon appetite for chips, the latest DRAMeXchange statistics highlight its deepening involvement in semiconductor manufacturing and design,” Shalinsky explained. “China’s new strategy seeks to benefit from a number of paradigm shifts, or global transformations, in semiconductor markets and technology.”

According to East-West Center economist Dieter Ernst, these include the demand pull from mobile devices; new opportunities for China’s factories in trailing-node semiconductor technologies; global changes in the IC fabrication landscape; and a new interest in strategic partnerships and mergers and acquisitions.

“China is clearly moving to reduce reliance on imported semiconductor devices by climbing up the semiconductor food chain and leveraging its ample technical resources,” added Shalinsky.