Although reluctant to believe, it must be admitted that the storage spot market is once again experiencing a lukewarm trend.
On one hand, most spot prices continue to decline, but not excessively. Notably, a significant influx of second-hand server memory chips has recently entered the market, yet many merchants are unwilling to take over, indicating that memory prices may face some challenges in the near term.
On the other hand, the market is not without opportunities. The recent surge in demand for PC upgrades sparked by the popular game “Black Myth: Wukong” led to a slight increase in the prices of some high-capacity SSDs. However, as the game’s popularity wanes, demand is gradually stabilizing.
After Wukong, much attention has shifted to the simultaneous launches of new devices from Huawei and Apple. Huawei’s triple-foldable Mate XT has indeed garnered strong enthusiasm in China, with over 3 million pre-orders upon release, and channel prices have continued to rise. However, the foldable screen market is still too small to significantly impact the storage industry, serving more as a marketing gimmick.
As for Apple’s iPhone 16 series, the domestic response has been largely disappointing, especially with the 128GB base storage option being the main target of online criticism. Whether Apple’s heavily promoted Apple Intelligence can successfully drive upgrade demand remains to be seen. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long, as the new iPhones will be available for pre-order on September 13, and the outcome will soon be apparent.
Of course, the most shocking news for the storage industry this week is Samsung’s plan to cut 30% of its overseas workforce. Although the cuts reportedly target mainly sales, marketing, and administrative staff, it still raises concerns, given Samsung’s long-standing dominance in the storage market.
Overall, market demand this week has not seen significant changes, with prices still slightly declining and industry confidence lacking.
Upstream wafer contract prices continue to fall, widening the gap with spot prices and leading to more pessimism, making short-term stabilization unlikely. Looking at the current application market, the impact of new phone launches remains to be seen, and the PC demand surge driven by “Black Wukong” is stabilizing.
As for the future of the storage market, external uncertainties are increasing, including the intensifying U.S. presidential election, global economic conditions, and exchange rate fluctuations, all of which could significantly impact the storage market. In the near term, it’s worth watching the market movements after the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays.
01
SSD Market Trend in this week of September, 2024
This week, market demand has not shown significant changes, with prices still in a slight decline, primarily maintaining cash flow. Upstream original wafer contract prices continue to drop, and although there is a large gap compared to spot prices, the trend is making everyone more pessimistic, making short-term stabilization difficult.
Looking at the current storage application market, the impact of new smartphone releases remains to be seen, and the PC demand surge driven by “Wukong” is also stabilizing, so a conservative approach is advised for now.
New NVME 4.0 quotations have been added this week; please refer to the quote table below for details.
| Product | Category | Capacity | Quotation in Last week (CNY) | Quotation in this week (CNY) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVMe 3.0 | Brand | 240G | 110-173 | 110-172 |
| NVMe 3.0 | Brand | 480G | 170-215 | 170-212 |
| NVMe 3.0 | Brand | 960G | 292-313 | 292-312 |
| NVMe 3.0 | Brand | 2T | 605-655 | 595-640 |
| NVMe 3.0 | OEM | 240G | 105 | 105 |
| NVMe 3.0 | OEM | 480G | 162 | 162 |
| NVMe 3.0 | OEM | 960G | 288 | 288 |
| NVMe 3.0 | OEM | 2T | 598 | 590 |
| NVMe 4.0 | Brand | 480G | – | 198-252 |
| NVMe 4.0 | Brand | 960G | – | 225-377 |
| NVMe 4.0 | Brand | 2T | – | 615-710 |
| NVMe 4.0 | OEM | 480G | – | 190 |
| NVMe 4.0 | OEM | 960G | – | 330 |
| NVMe 4.0 | OEM | 2T | – | 605 |
| SATA 3.0 | Brand | 120G | 52-138 | 52-135 |
| SATA 3.0 | Brand | 240G | 80-146 | 78-142 |
| SATA 3.0 | Brand | 480G | 158-205 | 156-200 |
| SATA 3.0 | Brand | 960G | 302-360 | 298-357 |
| SATA 3.0 | Brand | 2T | 570-665 | 565-655 |
| SATA 3.0 | OEM | 120G | 45 | 45 |
| SATA 3.0 | OEM | 240G | 73 | 73 |
| SATA 3.0 | OEM | 480G | 150 | 150 |
| SATA 3.0 | OEM | 960G | 290 | 290 |
| SATA 3.0 | OEM | 2T | 560 | 560 |
For NVME 3.0 this week, all capacities show a downward trend, with a decline range of about 1%-2%.
For SATA 3.0 market quotations this week, all capacities also show a downward trend, with a decline range of about 1%-2%.
02
DRAM Market Trend in this week of September, 2024
This week, DRAM market prices have pulled back and declined, shattering merchants’ expectations for a market improvement in September. With many uncertainties in the current market, it’s not advisable to stock up excessively, and it’s better to maintain cash flow operations on an order-by-order basis.
| Product | Category | Capacity | Quotation in Last week (CNY) | Quotation in This week (CNY) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DDR RAM | OEM | D4/32G 3200 | 330-339 | 328-337 |
| DDR RAM | OEM | D4/16G 2666 | 108-117 | 106-115 |
| DDR RAM | OEM | D4/8G 2666 | 62-68 | 60-58 |
| DDR RAM | OEM | D4/4G 2666 | 38-42 | 37-41 |
| DDR RAM | OEM | D3/8G 1600 | 27 | 27 |
| DDR RAM | OEM | D3/4G 1600 | 18 | 18 |
| DDR RAM | BRAND | DE/4G 2666 | 55-80 | 55-80 |
| DDR RAM | BRAND | D4/8G 2666 | 77-127 | 75-125 |
| DDR RAM | BRAND | D4/16G 2666 | 149-219 | 149-219 |
| DDR RAM | BRAND | D4/32G 2666 | 349-390 | 349-390 |
In the memory OEM market quotes this week, the D4 segment saw all capacities decline in the range of 2%-3%, while the D3 segment remained unchanged across all capacities.
03
NAND Flash Market Trend in this week of September, 2024
| Product | Category | Capacity | Quotation in Last week | Quotation in This week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAND | Flash Wafer | 64G TLC | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| NAND | Flash Wafer | 128G QLC | 6.2 | 6 |
| NAND | Flash Wafer | 128G TLC | 7.1 | 7 |
This week, overall contract prices for FLASH wafers have decreased, with ample inventory and poor demand, leading to increased uncertainty in the future. Most manufacturers will prioritize stable sales.
INK DIE supply is also abundant and in a disorganized state, so caution is advised. A conservative approach is still necessary, and attention should be paid to market trends after the holidays.
04
USB 2.0 / USB 3.0 / Micro SD card Market Trend in this week of September, 2024
This week, the USB market shows a clear polarization, with prices for products below 8GB remaining stable and slightly increasing.
Due to the impact of environmentally compliant washed DIEs, merchants are facing sales pressure, and the traditional September stocking season has not occurred. Overall, TF card prices continue to decline, and distributors are mainly observing cash flow.
| Category | Capacity | Quotation in Last week | Quotation in This week |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCBA | 4G | 4.3 | 4.3 |
| PCBA | 8G | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| PCBA | 16G | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| PCBA | 32G | 10 | 9.8 |
| PCBA | 64G | 12 | 11.6 |
| PCBA | 128G | 16.5 | 16.5 |
| UDP | 4G | 4.8 | 4.9 |
| UDP | 8G | 5.2 | 5.3 |
| UDP | 16G | 7.7 | 7.6 |
| UDP | 32G | 10.2 | 10 |
| UDP | 64G | 12.3 | 11.8 |
| UDP | 128G | 17.6 | 17.5 |
| USB 3.0 | 32G | 11.2 | 11 |
| USB 3.0 | 64G | 13.5 | 13.2 |
| USB 3.0 | 128G | 25 | 24.8 |
| USB 3.0 | 256G | 52 | 51.5 |
| USB 3.0 | 512G | 110 | 108 |
| Micro SD | 8G | 8.1 | 8.1 |
| Micro SD | 16G | 11.3 | 10.5 |
| Micro SD | 32G | 11.9 | 11.9 |
| Micro SD | 64G | 17 | 16.8 |
| Micro SD | 128G | 35.5 | 35.5 |
This week’s approximate PCBA quotes show a 3% drop for 32GB and 64GB, while other capacities remain unchanged.
For UDP quotes this week, small capacities increased by about 2%, while large capacities showed a decline ranging from 1% to 4%.
In the USB 3.0 market this week, all capacities are in a downward trend, with a decline range of 1%-2%.
For the TF card market this week, 16GB prices dropped by 7%, 64GB by 1%, while other capacities remained unchanged.
Next week’s market strategy: Operate conservatively, and handle orders on a case-by-case basis.
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