The prices for computer memory chips are to remain steady in the near term as computer vendors are increasing stocks ahead of Microsoft Corp's new Vista operating system, which is scheduled for release later this month, market researcher DRAMeXchange said yesterday.
The recent inventory buildup by computer makers will help sustain the price of computer memory chips -- or dynamic random access random memory (DRAM) chips -- in the traditionally slow first quarter, the Taipei-based researcher said in a statement.
Holiday strategy
"Computer vendors are building inventory in preparation for the launch of Microsoft's new Vista Windows at the end of January, despite slowing end demand for PCs," DRAMeXchange said.
Computer makers made the move in an attempt to avoid a severe supply crunch during the holiday season.
As a result, DRAM prices were expected to remain largely unchanged in the first half of this month and to drop slightly by the end of the month, the researcher said.
"As demand is slowing, we don't see any factors that would greatly boost DRAM prices," the researcher said.
Waiting for vista
The price for major DDR2 chips, which will enable faster speed for computers running on the Vista system, dropped 2.68 percent to US$6.15 from US$6.32 on sluggish demand on the spot market, DRAMeXchange tallies showed.
Over the next few months, however, sales of computers running the Vista operating system would serve as a barometer for DRAM prices as computer makers are expected to complete their inventory buildup by the end of this month, the researcher said.
Stock prices of the nation's largest DRAM chip supplier, Powerchip Semiconductor Corp (力晶半導體), were unchanged at NT$21.3 yesterday.
For their part, shares of its smaller rival Nanya Technology Corp (
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