We see, at least over the next six months, that the situation isn't going to change too dramatically. A lot of products we're going into, and markets we're enabling, are starting to really take off. We're addressing multiple megamarkets, including digital cameras, PDAs, cell phones, and music players. These are all huge markets and haven't even hit the knee of the growth curve yet, he said. And, of course, increased demand and tight lead times have led to large price jumps.
Prices are all over the map, based on quantity.
We're picking customers we're dealing with on multiple device types, said Hyundai's Young. We're a broad-based supplier, so where we have synergy with memory, or system products, it makes sense to leverage that. We have a strong base of customers for DRAMs and have a history of doing business with some people. Viking Components Inc., Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., is counting on its long-term relationships to keep flash chips coming in from suppliers. We've got strong visibility with suppliers, since we've been purchasing DRAM products from them for the last 12 years, said Mike Zaldivar, director of purchasing at the company, which manufactures flash-memory cards for telecom, digital cameras, MP3 players, and PDAs.