内存芯片价格爆涨之势开始降温

After a historic rise in 2017, prices of two major types of memory chips—called NAND and DRAM—this year have fallen 37% and 16%, respectively, according to semiconductor sales tracker DRAMeXchange.

据半导体销售跟踪机构DRAMeXchange，经过2017年的历史性涨势后，NAND和DRAM这两种主要内存芯片的价格今年分别下跌了37%和16%。

The price drop led to a profit forecast from Samsung Electronics that was below analysts’ expectations.

价格下跌促使三星电子(Samsung Electronics)作出了低于分析师预期的利润预测。

Shares in the world’s largest smartphone and semiconductor maker slid 2.3% on Friday after Samsung said it expected second-quarter operating profits of 14.8 trillion won ($13.2 billion), below analyst estimates of 15.1 trillion won. That result would break the South Korean company’s string of four record-shattering quarters.

这家全球最大的智能手机和半导体生产商股价上周五跌2.3%，之前该公司称，预计第二财季营业利润为14.8万亿韩元（132亿美元），低于分析师预期的15.1万亿韩元。这家韩国公司连续四个财季利润创纪录的大好势头将随之被打破。

Memory chips go in everything from smartphones to internet-connected light bulbs to self-driving cars, and growth in demand for the chips had outrun supply. The current pullback in their pricing reflects stepped-up production by manufacturers plus sluggish smartphone sales.

内存芯片用于从智能手机、联网灯泡到自动驾驶汽车等众多产品，之前其需求增速高于供应增速。眼下内存芯片价格回落，一方面反映出制造商在扩大生产，另一方面反映出智能手机销售疲弱。

Even so, the industry is still healthy. Though memory-chip prices are cooling, the cost of NAND and DRAM remains historically high.

即便如此，该行业依然健康。尽管内存芯片价格开始降温，NAND和DRAM成本依然位于历史高位。

“It’s getting back to normal versus the big shortages we were in,” said Randy Abrams, a Taiwan-based analyst for Credit Suisse.

瑞信(Credit Suisse)驻台湾分析师Randy Abrams表示，之前内存芯片存在巨大供需缺口，如今供需情况开始回归正常水平。