Web-Feet Research has added up the numbers with respect to the Flash memory market and believes its heading for the $20 billion US dollar level for 2005.

Flash memory market for NOR and NAND is forecast to be $19.6 billion, which is nearly 13 percent higher than the $17.3 billion recorded for 2004. The research firm noted that the NOR market has been troubled all year by pricing pressures, which will result in the business declining 17 percent to $8.3 billion this year. However NAND revenues are expected to grow 53 percent to $11.3 billion in 2005.

The non-big surprise is that Samsung is expected to finish the year as the number one supplier of Flash memory with sales of $6.2 billion and a 31.7 percent market share for 2005. But Web-Feet Research has seen Samsung lose revenue share in the NAND space due to the impact of heavily discounted pricing to Apple. Samsung's share of NAND revenue was also down slightly and should finish just under 50%.

The research firm noted that Toshiba benefited form being able to successfully ramp its 300mm fab in Japan as it moved into second place in the NAND market with an expected

12.4 percent of the market. Toshiba should capture 18.8%, while its fab partner, SanDisk adds another 8.9% share, according to Web-Feet Research.

Intel, the largest NOR vendor, takes over third place overall with 11.8% of total Flash revenue, while Spansion dropping to fourth with 10.4%.

Hynix, ranked tenth last year, has been steadily gaining market share, says the research firm and moved to fifth place by capturing 7.7 percent of the Flash market and 13.4 percent of the NAND market.

STMicroelectronics will have a 6.4% share of the Flash market in 2005, putting it in sixth place and $1.3 billion of revenues.