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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Samsung, Micron, Infineon, Hynix and Nanya remained the five largest DRAM suppliers by revenue in 2003, in the same order as in 2002, according to iSuppli’s final estimate reported by EDN. The ranking stayed put while the market expanded and individual companies’ sales and shares moved in different directions.
Who were the top DRAM suppliers in 2003?
EDN’s February 27, 2004 bulletin, a column provided by Nam Hyung Kim, then a principal analyst at iSuppli Corp., reported this revenue ranking from iSuppli’s final 2003 market-share estimate:
| 2003 rank | Supplier |
|---|---|
| 1 | Samsung |
| 2 | Micron |
| 3 | Infineon |
| 4 | Hynix |
| 5 | Nanya |
Those were also the top five in the same order in 2002. This is a historical revenue ranking, not a statement about suppliers’ current positions or a ranking by units shipped. The figures below are iSuppli estimates as reported by EDN; the underlying iSuppli dataset was not independently verified.
A stable ranking did not mean a static market
Worldwide DRAM revenue rose 12% to $17.3 billion in 2003, while shipments increased 48% to 3,384 million 256-Mbit-equivalent units, according to iSuppli’s estimates reported by EDN. The much faster increase in equivalent-unit shipments than in revenue shows why a fixed order among the largest vendors should not be confused with an unchanged market.
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Product mix remained centered on established formats. The 256-Mbit density was still dominant, and 512-Mbit parts accounted for 1.7% of shipments. DDR SDRAM represented 76.3% of total DRAM shipments. These are shipment-mix estimates for 2003, not measures of any one supplier’s share.
How supplier results diverged beneath the top five
Growth rates and market-share movements varied even though the top-five revenue order did not change. The reported figures refer to 2003 and are iSuppli estimates as reported by EDN.
| Supplier or measure | Reported 2003 result | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung | Revenue down 0.8% | EDN attributed the decline to shifting production from DRAM to NAND flash. |
| Infineon | Sales up 43%; share up 3.5% | The article does not clarify whether the share change is percentage points or a relative percent. |
| Hynix | Sales up 30%; share up 2% | The article does not clarify whether the share change is percentage points or a relative percent. |
| Nanya | DRAM share down 5.8% | EDN attributed the decline to a slower-than-expected migration to 0.11-micron process technology. |
| Powerchip | Ranked eighth; sales up 79% | Second-strongest growth among major suppliers; EDN said it had the best operating margin among Taiwanese suppliers in the fourth quarter, attributing that to a ramp in 300-mm wafer production. |
| Mosel Vitelic | Sales up 141.1% | EDN attributed much of the increase to taking on all ProMos DRAM output during 2003. |
| Winbond | Sales down 33% | The decline came as the company prepared to exit DRAM. |
Oki Electronics entered the top ten, passing Vanguard, Elite Semiconductor and Toshiba. These movements show why a top-five ranking alone does not describe the year’s competitive changes.
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Regional sales and the rise of China
China accounted for 10% of worldwide DRAM sales in 2003, its first double-digit share, according to iSuppli’s estimate reported by EDN. The regional shares of global DRAM revenue were:
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| Region | Share of global DRAM revenue |
|---|---|
| Asia-Pacific, including China | 41% |
| North America | 33% |
| Europe | 16% |
| Japan | 9% |
The reported regional percentages total 99%, reflecting rounding or the source’s reported figures; EDN does not explain the difference. Samsung led in every region except China. There, Hynix led with 39% of the market, followed by Samsung at 20.5%, Micron at 16.9% and Infineon at 16%.
In Japan, Samsung and Hynix together held 43.9% of the market, while Elpida had 15.7% of its domestic market. Regional market leadership is a separate measure from the worldwide revenue ranking.
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Overall market share is not segment leadership
Supplier share depends on which slice of DRAM is being measured. Samsung had 28.7% of overall DRAM market share in 2003, but its reported share of 256-Mbit DDR SDRAM sales was 20.9%. Micron, meanwhile, led the 256-Mbit SDRAM segment by revenue with 28%, according to iSuppli estimates reported by EDN.
The bulletin also gives supplier shares for 256-Mbit DDR SDRAM sales. These segment figures should not be substituted for overall DRAM shares:
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems| Supplier | Share of 256-Mbit DDR SDRAM sales |
|---|---|
| Samsung | 20.9% |
| Micron | 19.3% |
| Infineon | 18.6% |
| Hynix | 14.5% |
| Nanya | 8.3% |
For older densities, Samsung and Hynix led 16-Mbit DRAM with 34% and 21%, respectively, and 64-Mbit DRAM with 31% and 26%. Those density-level shares are also distinct from the overall revenue ranking.
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EDN contains an apparent internal inconsistency on Samsung’s 256-Mbit DDR SDRAM share: after giving 20.9% for Samsung in a list of suppliers’ worldwide sales shares, it states 36.1% for Samsung in the broader 256-Mbit DDR SDRAM market. The article gives no explanation for the difference, so the 36.1% figure cannot be reconciled from that report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.DDR exposure differed by supplier
DDR SDRAM, including graphics DDR, made up different portions of each listed supplier’s DRAM sales in 2003, according to the figures EDN reported from iSuppli. These are company product-mix figures, not market shares.
| Supplier | DDR as share of DRAM sales |
|---|---|
| Infineon | 83.4% |
| Hynix | 76.4% |
| Samsung | 73% |
| Micron | 70.9% |
| Nanya | 97.6% |
| Powerchip | 96% |
| Elpida | 62.7% |
EDN linked Elpida’s greater SDRAM exposure to its consumer-electronics-driven customer portfolio in Japan.
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Kim described the year as one of “relative stability” because the leading revenue order, mainstream density and most common part type remained the same as at the end of 2002. That characterization was about those specific benchmarks, not an absence of market growth, regional shifts or sharply different supplier results. The reported figures support the unchanged top-five order, but do not establish a single cause for why it held.
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