Quezi

Flash Memory Products (photo by Robert S. Donovan - CC-BY)

The global Flash Memory market for 2007 was estimated at $13.9 Billion, according to iSuppi.

They expected the 2008 number to be about $12 billion — down by 14 percent. Their forecast predicts a further drop in revenue by 15% for 2009, due to continuing downward pressure on prices from device manufacturers and consumers.

iSuppi also reported market shares for the top ten Flash Memory manufacturers (data for 2008 second quarter):

1. Samsung – 33.2%
2. Toshiba – 19.7%
3. Spansion -  12.4%
4. Numonyx – 10.9%
5. Hynix – 9.1%
6. Micron – 6.1%
7. Intel – 3.5%
8. Macroniz – 1.6%
9. Silicon Storage Technology – 1.1%
10. Sharp – 0.8%

The report noted that  increased device memory was being included by manufacturers, meaning that consumers have less need to upgrade their devices.