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Samsung remains leading Flash memory manufaturer |
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Feb 04, 2005 at 08:00 AM |
Worldwide flash memory revenue declined to $3.99 billion in the third
quarter of 2004, down 4 percent from $4.2 billion in the second
quarter, according to the latest preliminary estimate from iSuppli
Corp. Growth in the overall memory market will stall in 2005 as higher
availability of parts depresses pricing, iSuppli predicts.
Samsung Electronics bolstered its leadership position in the overall
flash market with revenues of $990 million and a market share of 24.8
percent. This compares to revenue of $958 million and a market share of
23 percent in the second quarter. Long a major player in the NAND-type
flash market, Samsung recently has been expanding its presence in the
NOR segment. The company entered the ranks of the top-five NOR flash
suppliers in the third quarter as it took 5.5 percent of the worldwide
NOR flash market.
Increasingly intense competition among flash suppliers, combined with
an oversupply of parts in the market, caused prices to decline during
the quarter, bringing overall market revenue down. The decline marked
the first sequential quarterly decrease in overall flash sales since
the first quarter of 2003.
Intel Corp. attained the number-two rank in overall flash sales with
revenue of $639 million and a market share of 16 percent. After being
displaced from its customary leadership position in NOR-type flash by
Spansion in 2003, Intel has been mounting a remarkable resurgence in
2004 by using aggressive marketing and pricing strategies, according to
iSuppli.
Toshiba, which plays in both the NAND and NOR markets, took the
third-place rank in the third quarter in overall flash, with a 14.6
percent market share, compared to 13.8 percent in the second quarter.
The company's sales amounted to $582 million in the third quarter, up
from $576 million from the second quarter.
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