The global dynamic random access memory market is expected to witness growth over the forecast period, driven by the proliferation of personal computing devices. The growing need for high-memory smartphones and tablets, increasing demand for rapid online operability, and the availability of internet connectivity are expected to drive market growth in the coming years. Furthermore, growing demand for cloud computing and the need for high-speed communication are expected to augment demand for dynamic random access memory (DRAM), especially in data center infrastructures. Cloud services require cooling, high-speed data transmission, and back-up facilities, which are handled by low-power consumption and high-density memory technologies such as dynamic RAM.
New technologies in the market such as the ultra-thin notebooks that offer long battery life, sturdy physical profile, and high performance are backed by dynamic RAM technology. The demand for high performance and low-power DRAM solutions in mobile devices is expected to boost the dynamic RAM market growth. However, high R&D costs, circuit integration limitations, and rising costs of design and fabrication may restrain market growth over the forecast period. Substitutes such as NAND flash memory may pose a challenge to the DRAM market. Emerging economies and replacement markets may offer significant growth opportunities for the DRAM market.
Dynamic RAMs find applications in computing, infrastructure, infocom, and entertainment markets. They are used in computing devices such as mobile phones, personal computers, workstations, portable gaming devices, PDAs, and tablets. Such devices make use of dynamic RAM for expediting operational speed. Mobile phones are expected to hold an attractive share in the DRAM market owing to their growing penetration and falling prices, leading to greater consumer adoption. Dynamic RAM is used in infrastructure devices such as servers, networking equipment, and storage devices. For entertainment applications, DRAMs are extensively used across several applications which include camcorders, game consoles, DVD-players, set-top-box (STBs), projectors, and e-books.
The DRAM market in North America is expected to witness strong growth over the forecast period owing to the high degree of technological advancements in the region. The Asia Pacific dynamic RAM market is expected to exhibit significant growth owing to the proliferation of DRAM-equipped devices such as smartphones, PCs, and laptops in the region.
The dynamic RAM market exhibits an oligopolistic outlay, with few suppliers, and a high level of price competition. Key players in the dynamic random access memory market include Micron Technology Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Nanya Technology Corp., Kingston Technology, Intel, Elpida Memory Inc., Etron Technology Inc., Advanced Micro Device (AMD), and Texas Instruments (TI). Many market players are vying to gain a competitive advantage by leveraging advanced processing technology to reduce unit costs. Samsung Electronics commenced mass production of dynamic RAM in March 2014, using the 20nm process technology. Such technology enables the company to produce DDR3 memory at reduced manufacturing costs and better energy efficiency.