Cryptocurrency slowdown throws cold water on DRAM market

Flat demand and rising output mean memory prices likely to fall this year

20180514_DRAM chips

Demand for DRAM chips has been sluggish in recent months, as cryptocurrency mining becomes less trendy and smartphone sales slacken.

SHUHEI OCHIAI, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- The collapse of the cryptocurrency bubble is rocking the market for DRAM chips in Japan and elsewhere, which had been firm up to now.

Demand from smartphone manufacturers, data centers and cryptocurrency "miners" are the three pillars of the memory chip market. But one of the pillars -- demand for DRAMs from virtual currency miners --has weakened badly.

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