Contract quotes for mainstream 1Gb DDR chips declined 16-19%, with the average price hitting a historical low of US$1.44, compared to a spot price of US$1.42, DRAMeXchange said. The latest average quotes for the second half of September were down almost 40% from pricing in July, the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) quoted DRAMeXchange as indicating.

Meanwhile, contract pricing for 1GB and 2GB DDR2 modules for the second half of September also dropped in a range of 13-15%, to a low of US$14.5 and US$29, respectively, DRAMeXchange added.

While the latest production reductions announced by Powerchip Semiconductor International (PSI), Elpida Memory and Hynix Semiconductor have helped shore up the share prices of Taiwan DRAM makers, it has not stabilized DRAM pricing, according to sources in Taiwan's memory industry.