iFixit
It is reported that the price of NAND flash may rise by up to 10% in the future as one of the major suppliers of NAND flash memory for Apple products has stopped part of the production process.
On the 10th of this month, Kioxia, a major semiconductor manufacturer, announced that it had stopped part of its production process at its Yokkaichi and Kitakami plants. It is said that impurities were mixed in the parts of the 3D NAND flash memory “BiCS FLASH”, and it is said that the production of at least 6.5EB (6.5 billion GB) will be reduced.
Market research firm TrendForce has warned that the price of NAND, a key component of SSDs, could rise by up to 10%.
Apple is known for using Kioxia’s NAND flash in many products, including the iPhone 13, M1 Pro / Max MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro.For example, the repair shop iFixitWhen disassembling the iPhone 13 ProHas one Kioxia NAND flash on the 16-inch M1 Pro-equipped MacBook Pro (SSD 256GB)Two Kioxia KICM225UZ0460 128GB NAND flashes confirmedit was done.
In the midst of a global shortage of semiconductorsSurvey results show that PC shipments in 2021 will increase by 15% year-on-yearThere was also an expectation that it would grow further in 2022. The shortage of NAND flash and the potential for soaring prices may cast a shadow over the coming months.
According to TrendForce, the partnership between Western Digital and Kioxia represents about 30% of the NAND flash market. Both companies mainly supply SSDs and eMMc storage for PCs, and it can be said that they are deeply involved in the production volume of PCs.
The cause of the contamination has not been clarified, and it is unclear whether the products on the market need to be recalled and when production will resume.
The US 9to5Mac speculates that if NAND flash goes up, it’s unlikely that Apple will raise the price of its products.
Because Apple tends to negotiate parts procurement for quite some time, and while future contracts may cost more, it’s unlikely to affect the latest product. After that, it will only affect for a few months, and it seems that Apple will bear the cost and not add it to the price.
However, it is also stated that there is a concern that Apple products using NAND flash made at the relevant factory will be recalled in the future. As soon as there is something moving at Apple, we will tell you about it in this magazine.
Source:KIOXIA,The Verge
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