In a potential blow to enthusiasts who insist on torturing themselves with laughably outdated hardware, TrendForce has shared a report indicating that the global supply of consumer DDR3 memory is about to undergo an impending decline, something that’s being accelerated partially by key manufacturers that have finally begun the process of distancing themselves from the ancient standard. These include Samsung and SK hynix, both of which have already begun scaling back their DDR3 production and are expected to EOL their offerings sooner rather than later. Released in 2007, DDR3 memory offers a maximum bandwidth of 17 GB/s, a figure that has since been put to shame by DDR4 (25.6 GB/s) and DDR5 (32 GB/s).
DDR3 Consumer DRAM Prices Expected to Rise by 0-5% in 2Q22 Due to Rapidly Shrinking Supply, Says TrendForce (TrendForce)
- With Korean suppliers accelerating their withdrawal from DDR3 production, Taiwanese suppliers yet to kick off mass production using newly installed capacities, and Chinese suppliers falling short of their expected yield rate, the global supply of DDR3 solutions will undergo an impending decline.
- On the supply side, Samsung and SK hynix have begun scaling back their DDR3 production while also planning to declare EOL (end of life) for their DDR3 offerings, such as 1/2Gb and 4Gb chips.
- It should be noted, however, that Micron’s DDR3 solutions will not reach EOL even by 2026, meaning the company will still offer DDR3 solutions long after its two Korean competitors have stopped doing so, according to TrendForce’s understanding.