Since prices have fallen and there is an excess of memory available globally, the industry has gradually cut back on capital expenditures. Samsung Electronics won’t be following up, though. This suggests, according to experts, that Samsung might raise its NAND Flash output and start a price war.
Memory sales were reportedly weak, and according to the Korea Times, Korean producers SK Hynix, American firm Micron, and Japanese manufacturer Kioxia all indicated that they will reduce capital expenditures or manufacturing. Samsung, the market leader in memory, is currently adamant about taking its path.
According to the firm, the global memory market won’t start to show indications of recovery until later in the next year. However, the company does not intend to significantly reduce chip production or capital spending for the upcoming year. Samsung has a lot of cash and assets with a similar cash value; according to Korea Investment expert Chae Min-sook, thus it can follow its objectives. The production of memory is Samsung’s key competitive advantage, which must be maintained despite market difficulties.
Samsung’s newly appointed chairman, Lee Jae-Yong, declared that the organization was in a crucial phase and that it was time to act bolder and more aggressively. The top three manufacturers are thought to own 94% of the market share in the DRAM industry, making a price war implausible in the eyes of the outside world. However, Samsung may have plans to raise investment in NAND Flash to boost manufacturing and outcompete competitors.
However, the chairman of Samsung Securities’ technology division, Hwang Min-Seong, predicted that the global NAND Flash industry would eventually consolidate. From a production and technological standpoint, there is more room to pressure rivals in this industry. Next year, Samsung will concentrate its investments on improving DRAM technology, installing machinery in new US factories, and increasing NAND output.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, South Korea’s second-largest chip manufacturer, SK Hynix, said it will cut its capital expenditure in 2023 by 50% from an estimated 10 trillion to 20 trillion won this year. On October 26, SK Hynix published its most recent financial report. Market expectations were not met in terms of revenue or profit, and the net profit unexpectedly fell by 60%.
By 2023, it declared it would slash capital expenditures in half. It is indeed concerning when the chip market reflects. On the earnings conference call, SK Hynix’s Noh Jong-won said that chip demand had dropped significantly. He does not rule out the possibility that capital expenditure would be reduced by more than 50%, but it is now set at just a little more than 50%.
