Mobile memory sales booming thanks to smartphones and tablets

Latest research from IHS iSuppli reveals the global market will be worth $17.9bn by 2015

Smartphones and tablets will continue to fuel the growth of the mobile memory semiconductor market as it grows six per cent this year, market watcher IHS iSuppli has revealed.

According to the IHS iSuppli Mobile & Embedded Memory Market Tracker report, revenue for mobile memory is expected to reach $14.9bn (£9.3bn) this year, up from $14.1bn in 2011. This includes flash memory segments of NAND and NOR and the mobile DRAM sector.

Looking ahead to 2013, the market is predicted to grow by nine per cent as more smartphone and tablet products requiring higher memory densities enter the marketplace, with revenue reaching $16.2bn.

By 2015, mobile memory revenue will peak at $17.9bn, IHS iSuppli predicted.

Michael Yang, senior principal analyst for memory and storage at IHS, said: “The mobile space has been the engine for overall memory growth in the past few years, and it continues to shape and define the success of suppliers participating in the memory market.

“Given the ongoing passion of consumers for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, the outlook for mobile memory remains exceedingly optimistic," he added.