Samsung maintained NAND flash leadership in Q2 and increased revenue

Samsung was the biggest player in the global NAND flash segment in Q2 2020 even though its market share dropped by 1.7% compared to Q1, says a new report from Yonhap citing market intelligence provider TrendForce. Samsung’s global NAND flash market share stood at 31.4% and the company registered revenues of $4.54 billion in the second quarter, up by 0.9% from Q1.

Samsung’s NAND flash shipments dropped by roughly 3% quarter-on-quarter, according to the research firm, as the global pandemic led to lower demand for smartphones. Even so, Samsung was able to take advantage of increased average selling prices. The ASP for NAND modules rose by nearly 5% quarter-on-quarter.

The overall global NAND flash industry experienced an increase of 6.5% in revenue in Q2. Even though smartphone demand has dropped, demand for NAND chips reportedly surged because the global pandemic had forced many people to work from home.

As far as Q3 goes, TrendForce estimates that NAND flash manufacturers will be faced with an oversupply problem because PC makers and server companies have reportedly stocked up on inventory, and therefore shipments are likely to decline throughout the July-September period.

Samsung led the NAND flash market in Q2 and was followed by Kioxia with 17.2% share, Western Digital with 15.5% share, and SK Hynix with 11.7% share.