The Korea Herald

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Hynix well-positioned for new era of mobile devices: report

By Korea Herald

Published : Jan. 27, 2012 - 17:16

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HONG KONG (Yonhap) -- South Korea‘s Hynix Semiconductor Inc. is well-positioned for the new era of mobile devices driving the growth of memory chip markets, as it can supply a total memory solution for mobile gadgets, a report said Friday.

BNP Paribas said in its report that Hynix Semiconductor is one of the few manufacturers that fit that new era, raising the target price for Hynix to 34,000 won ($30.2) to 30,000 won.

“The three decades of personal computer (PC)-driven dynamic random access memory (DRAM) growth have ended,” said Peter Yu, an analyst at BNP Paribas.

“Mobile DRAM and NAND flash have seen a surge in the last five years, but the business model of selling only discrete memory chips will not work anymore, as tablet and smartphone makers are demanding complete memory solutions, which include memory, the controller and packaging.”

The French investment bank explained that while Hynix Semiconductor outsources controllers, it also offers a complete mobile memory solution.

It expected Taiwan-based PC DRAM makers would start to struggle as most sell only discrete mobile DRAM chips and not total mobile memory solutions, confining their market only to Apple Inc., which purchases discrete memory chips.

Hynix will likely to see more stable growth in 2012, stemming from memory industry growth to be led by mobile memory solution products, away from PC DRAM, BNP Paribas said.

“Compared to the wildly fluctuating commodity PC DRAM market, where all DRAM makers compete fiercely, the mobile memory solution market is more stable with only three main suppliers -- Samsung Electronics Co., Hynix and Toshiba Corp.,” said Yu.