Although demand for DRAM used in PCs has been decreasing, demand for DRAM from cloud computing applications is sufficient to cover the decrease, and server-use DRAM, SSD (solid-state drive) and eMMC will be three memory product lines of large growth potential in 2012, according to Kingston Technology co-founder John Tu.

Cloud computing applications necessitate a large volume of servers for use in data centers and workstations, resulting in large demand for server-use DRAM, Tu indicated. While marketing server-use DRAM products to business users, Kingston has offered a variety of memory products for use in terminal devices related to cloud computing applications, such as eMMC used in smartphones and SSDs built in tablet PCs, e-book readers and GPS devices, Tu pointed out. For eMMC products in particular, Kingston partners with Taiwan-based IC design house Phison Electronics for providing control ICs and related technology.

Kingston expects its shipments of DRAM modules, NAND flash products and SSDs to the China market in 2011 to increase from 2010 by 50%, 15% and 133% respectively, Tu noted. Of Kingston DRAM modules shipped to the China market during the first three quarters of 2011, 84% were for use in PCs, 11% in notebook PCs and 5% in servers, Tu indicated.