TrendForce, the high-tech market intelligence firm, has published an update on the NAND flash market. Its latest forecasts see NAND flash's average selling price (ASP) falling between 3 and 8% in Q3 2023. However, for PC enthusiasts and DIYers, the news is even better. Client SSD pricing is expected to fall between 8% and 13% during the same period. In other words, those in the market for PC SSD storage could perhaps save an extra 10% or more on today's prices if they wait a few weeks.
NAND Flash chips are a major component in PC SSDs, products like smart devices (UFS and eMMC) and memory cards. The pricing of this essential storage device component will continue to fall significantly in the current quarter, according to the analysts at TrendForce.
As usual with its market intelligence reports, TrendForce provides some background and reasoning for its predictions. Currently, NAND makers are "making concerted efforts to scale back production," notes the analyst firm. Manufacturers thus hope to create artificial scarcity and pump up NAND pricing. However, TrendForce reckons that these efforts will be in vain and aren't enough to address the state of oversupply in Q3 2023 – even with the traditional seasonal demand surge expected in the coming months. TrendForce predicts pricing of NAND and NAND-based products to slide.
Looking closer at the segmented figures TrendForce provides, we see that Client SSD pricing looks likely to improve – for customers, not NAND producers. Last quarter was a great period for PC enthusiasts, DIYers and upgraders, with SSD ASPs sinking between 15% and 20%, according to the tabulated data. The continued drop of between 8 to 13% is also well worth waiting for if you are looking to do a new build or for an upgrade and you aren’t in a mad rush to complete it.
If you follow our news and deals, you will know there have been plenty of SSD bargains in recent weeks. We can be pretty confident that the deals are set to continue, probably improving, based on TrendForce data.
With NAND ASPs dropping, it isn’t only PC SSDs (AKA Client SSDs) that will be more keenly priced. TrendForce outlines how products like Enterprise SSDs, mobile storage (eMMC and UFS), and other devices have been impacted and are predicted to react. So, for Tom’s Hardware readers, the expected drops in smartphone and tablet components might be welcome to reduce upward price pressures on such products.
Last but not least, TrendForce doesn’t predict NAND ASPs will continue to drop steeply after Q3. It expects to see a rebound in high-end 3D NAND pricing first but doesn’t give any firm prediction on whether NAND ASPs will continue to fall or rise in Q4 2023.
