Prices of NAND flash memory chips fell to an all-time low in the first half of this month mainly due to weak global demand, industry data showed Wednesday.

   According to the data by Taiwan-based DRAMeXchange Technology Inc., the contract price of the benchmark 16-gigabit 2Gx8 MLC NAND flash memory stood at US$2.68 in the first half of August, down 2.19 percent from the second half of July.

   Global prices for the chips had risen to over $5 at one point, but they started to lose ground and have stayed under the $3 mark since August 2010.

   NAND flash memory chips are used to store data and music files for digital cameras, portable music players and mobile communication devices.

   The latest drop stemmed from persistently weak demand for the chips and failure by NAND flash producers and electronic appliance manufacturers to agree on a contract price that is usually set two months in advances. Talks held in June and July failed to make headway.

   "Failure to find a mutually acceptable price for the chips has further raised uncertainties and hurt prices," local industry sources said.

   Besides the benchmark 16-gigabit device, prices for the larger 64-gigabit chips with 8Gx8 MLC flash memory fell 1.23 percent to $8.05 this month compared to the second half of July, according to the data.

Source: Yonhap News (August 17, 2011)