Industry Expert Blogs
And the 2013 Mobile Winner is ... Micron?SemiWiki - Ed McKernanDec. 03, 2013 |
To the surprise of nearly all observers and due to no extraordinary technological advancement, there is one true mobile winner of the past year and that is Micron, whose stock has soared in 2013 from $5 to $21. I know, you're probably saying, "Micron, you can't be serious." Let's run through the facts. For analysts who recall, it was 1995 when DRAM was basking in the sun under the then gargantuan demands of Windows 95 and when PC makers fretted about finding enough memory to load their machines in time for the September 1995 launch from Redmond to the blaring Rolling Stone tune "Start me up." Looking back in time, it was peak DRAM. Then and thereafter, for nearly 20 years, there was one processor vendor who reigned profitably as its stock soared under the command of Andy Grove. We now may be witnessing an unbelievable trading places scenario as smart mobile kicks into high volume and memory (DRAM and Flash) will be worth significantly more than the apps processor. Who's the real commodity silicon now?