Global DRAM Sales Drop QoQ in 4Q21
SK Hynix was the only DRAM maker that posted a sales increase in the fourth quarter of 2021 amid a decline in global DRAM semiconductor sales.
Global DRAM sales in the fourth quarter of 2021 stood at US$25.3 billion (about 30 trillion won), down 6 percent from the previous quarter, said market research firm TrendForce on Feb. 18.
TrendForce blamed the sales decline to the component shortage at manufacturers of smartphones, servers and PCs, and a drop in DRAM prices stemming from a DRAM inventory expansion.
Samsung Electronics ranked first in the DRAM market share standings in the fourth quarter with 42.3 percent. The chipmaker maintained its No. 1 position, but its market share fell by 1.7 percentage points from 44.0 percent in the third quarter as its sales fell 9.4 percent during the same period.
SK Hynix is the only global DRAM producer that logged increased sales. Second-ranked SK Hynix posted a market share of 29.7 percent, up 2.5 percentage points from 27.2 percent during the period. As a result, SK Hynix reduced its gap with Samsung Electronics to 12.6 percentage points from 16.8 percentage points. As SK Hynix’s market share rose, Korean companies’ DRAM market share inflated from 71.2 percent to 72.0 percent.
Third-ranked Micron Technology posted a 22.3 percent share, down 0.6 percentage points from the previous quarter. Its sales fell 8.3 percent to US$5,587 million over the same period.
As DRAM shipments shrank in the fourth quarter of 2021, total DRAM production fell 5.8 percent from the third quarter to total US$25.3 billion.