"DRAM revenues historically fall by 20% in the first quarter, but I don't think it will fall that much in 2010...," said Hynix CEO Kim Jong-Kap on the sidelines of semiconductor equipment trade show Semicon Japan.

"The group's top decision makers have reached a broad consensus that more measures would be needed to nurture future growth engines. But that doesn't necessarily mean LG will participate in an auction next month," an LG representative said. Despite such internal views, market analysts say LG could be the "right buyer" for Hynix.

The fall in cost is due to the increased lifetime, according to the independent EU Energy Institute.

Samsung Electronics plans to invest around seven trillion won (US$6.05 billion) in its semiconductor business for 2010 - five trillion won in DRAM and two trillion won in NAND flash memory and system LSI, according to industry sources.

Spansion has announced its MirrorBit flash memory is now available as a verified configuration solution for the new Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA family.

Nokia, the world's largest maker of mobile phones, has sued Samsung Electronics, LG Display, AU Optronics (AUO) and other LCD manufacturers over claims they colluded to fix prices of panels.

South Korea expects exports in 2010 to grow 12.9% from this year on a global economic recovery and imports to rise 21.5%, producing an estimated US$20 billion trade surplus, the government said.

"Apple has asked Korean semiconductor makers to produce a certain amount of chips for its digital products, only to actually purchase a smaller volume eventually. The company doesn't make immediate purchases, but waits until chip prices to fall to the level it internally targets..."

Japan's central bank has said it was watching currency movements "with great concern" as the yen traded at a 14-year-high against the dollar. The surging yen could set back a recovery from Japan's worst post-war recession because it makes the country's exports less competitive.

Passenger car sales at Ford Motor's China joint venture will likely rise by close to 50% in 2009, partly due to government incentives for purchases of small vehicles, according to Nigel Harris, general manager of the joint venture.

The icebergs, some of which are 200m (650ft) in size, are believed to have broken from an Antarctic ice floe. The last time such a large flotilla was spotted so nearby was in 2006.