Since Japan is second to South Korea in importance to the global memory industry, spot price for DRAM and NAND flash products both rose on the first trading day after the March 11 earthquake. In the NAND flash maket, 32Gb MLC chips went up 20.5% in one day, and 16Gb MLC chips gained 16.8%. DRAM spot price, which was previously trending down, also posted a 7% increase for the day. The price jumps also signify that buyers are expecting the disaster to impact future memory supply.

In addition to concerns about damage to memory production plants, the main manufacturing facilities of Shin-Etsu Chemical, the largest silicon wafer supplier worldwide, are located in Fukushima Prefecture. Upstream wafer shortages could further put stress on the global memory supply chain.