Memory crisis: PC manufacturers consider Chinese memory
HP, Dell, Acer and Asus are reportedly already certifying DRAM from China to potentially alleviate supply shortages.
(Image: ronstik/Shutterstock.com)
Anyone buying a laptop or desktop PC might find themselves using RAM from Chinese manufacturer ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) in the future. Almost all major PC manufacturers are reportedly testing the memory or looking for contacts to obtain Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM).
This is reported by the often well-informed news agency Nikkei Asia. According to the report, HP, Dell, and Acer are already in the certification phase. Manufacturers are checking, for example, whether the memory runs stably and how durable it is. Asus is reportedly a bit behind, but also interested in Chinese DRAM.
Global market leader Lenovo is based in China and likely has been sourcing CXMT components for the domestic market for some time. Of the top 6 largest PC manufacturers worldwide, only Apple is missing, and it's unclear whether the company isn't also considering CXMT.
Apple reportedly showed interest in NAND flash memory from Chinese manufacturer Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) back in 2022. Probably due to political pressure, the company then decided against using it in iPhones.
DDR5 and LPDDR5X at high speed
According to its own product page, CXMT manufactures DDR5-8000 components with a capacity of 24 gigabits. Such "odd" capacities are becoming increasingly common. The manufacturer therefore doesn't need to hide from competitors like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron. Only the efficiency might still be lower. According to Nikkei, CXMT has improved its chip yield and quality in recent months.
For laptops, CXMT offers LPDDR5X-DRAM with a capacity of 16 gigabits per component, among others. With the specified LPDDR5X-10667 speed, the manufacturer could push the limits of all current AMD and Intel processors.
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No Cost Savings
Digitimes from Taiwan notes that the two Chinese memory manufacturers CXMT and YMTC have abandoned their low-price strategy. They are reportedly charging similarly high prices as the competition. PC manufacturers would therefore not save money with Chinese memory, but would have an additional supplier to compensate for any shortages.
According to the South Korean market observer Counterpoint Research, CXMT already holds a five percent global market share in DRAM. The majority of these chips are used in Chinese devices. The Taiwanese market observer Trendforce does not list CXMT independently, but CXMT likely accounts for the majority of the remaining approximately five percent market share ("all others").
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