SCOTTSDALE, AZ – After a steep drop in 2019, sales of memory ICs rebounded 15% during Covid-plagued 2020, says IC Insights. Following up on that increase, stronger DRAM pricing is expected to lift total memory revenue 23% this year to $155.2 billion.

From 2020 through 2025, IC Insights forecasts the total memory market will grow a CAGR of 10.6%.

The average selling price for DRAM jumped 8% sequentially in the first quarter, and nearly all of the leading memory suppliers said they expect stronger demand in the second quarter.

The memory upturn is forecast to continue into 2022 when total memory sales are expected to rise 16% to $180.4 billion, which would break the previous all-time high of $163.3 billion set in 2018 at the peak of the previous memory cycle.

The memory market is forecast to reach its next cyclical peak in 2023, when revenue grows to nearly $220 billion, smashing through the $200 billion sales level for the first time before a cooling period returns in 2024.

In 2021, DRAM is expected to account for 56% of the memory market, with flash memory accounting for 43% share. DRAM is also forecast to represent the bulk of memory unit shipments this year. Though there remains a viable market for other memory products (EEPROM, EPROM, ROM, SRAM, etc.), it is unlikely these segments will account for much more market share than they currently do, says the firm.

• Prev
• Next