Through in-depth analysis of the data, due to the recent decrease in product orders, Samsung's shipment volume and average selling price have both decreased, resulting in a 24.7% month on month decrease in revenue, reaching $4.17 billion. On the other hand, Meguiar's shipment growth has improved, but it is still affected by the economic downturn, with revenue decreasing by 3.8% and total revenue falling to $2.72 billion. SK Hynix suffered the most severe losses, with shipments and average selling prices dropping by over 15%, resulting in a significant decrease of 31.7% in revenue, approximately $2.31 billion.
In addition to information on the three well-known memory suppliers, TrendForce also provides data on Taiwanese manufacturers, who are also leading the industry.
In terms of Taiwanese suppliers, South Asia experienced a fourth consecutive decline in shipments, with Q1 revenue declining by 16.7%. The mainstream process node stagnated at 20 nanometers, lagging behind the three giants, resulting in a significant decline in operating profit margin to -44.9%. However, there is a glimmer of hope as the replenishment demand for TV SoC inventory is expected to rebound the utilization rate from 70% to 80% in the second quarter. Despite receiving multiple urgent orders for laptops and televisions in the first quarter, Huabang Electronics reported that revenue decreased by 8.8% due to continuous price declines.
In the context of falling prices and sluggish demand, PSMC's quarterly DRAM revenue decreased by 12.3%. The financial performance of the company is mainly related to its own consumer DRAM products, excluding the revenue from DRAM outsourcing services. However, if the revenue from OEM services is included, the company's quarterly decline will expand to 22.6%.
TrendForce has also predicted the revenue of the Q2 DRAM industry and is not optimistic:
TrendForce earlier predicted that due to a rapid decline in average selling prices, the three giants would shift from profit to loss in the first quarter of 2023. With the continuous decline of DRAM prices, it is expected that the operating profit margin in the second quarter will continue to be in a loss state. In response, all three major suppliers have started implementing production reductions, and it is expected that the Q2 production capacity utilization rate will decrease to 77% for Samsung, 74% for Meguiar, and 82% for SK Hynix.
Due to disruptions in demand and supply chain, the DRAM market has been declining, but based on the latest economic indicators, a turning point may also be approaching.