Thomas Alsop
Research expert covering the global hardware industry
Device memory and storage - statistics & facts
In today's digital landscape, understanding the distinction between memory and storage in devices is crucial for optimizing performance and efficiency. Device memory, often referred to as RAM, or random-access memory, acts as the short-term workspace for active tasks, enabling smooth multitasking and faster data access. On the other hand, storage provides long-term data retention, housing everything from operating systems to media files. While both are essential for device functionality, knowing how they interact and differ is key to making informed choices in upgrading or purchasing new tech hardware, ensuring a device runs faster and more efficiently.
Samsung, a dominant force in the memory and storage markets
The semiconductor memory market was valued at 163.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, a 76.8 percent increase from the previous year. The market includes dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) as well as NAND flash devices. The DRAM market worldwide generated over 50 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, with Samsung taking the top spot in the DRAM market. Secondary storage, either in the form of hard disk drives, solid-state drives, flash drives, or other longer-term storage devices, records and holds data indefinitely, even when the main device is unpowered. The NAND flash market worldwide saw revenues amount to 38.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, with Samsung once again leading in this market.Metrics for analyzing memory and storage performance
Memory and storage devices, along with other components such as central processing units or graphics processing units, are the building blocks of any modern computing system. Understanding the optimum configuration is key to achieving the best computing capabilities, with benchmarks helping a user to ascertain this information effectively. In the case of the memory and storage markets, benchmarking of next-generation memory specifications such as DDR5 is available via multiple platforms, as well as comparative data for storage solutions across a range of price points and functionalities.AI driving memory and storage innovation
Moving ahead, much like the wider technology industry, artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to have a profound influence on the device memory and storage market. AI applications require more device memory and storage due to their demand for real-time data processing and handling of vast datasets. As a result, the deployment of faster memory technologies and extended storage capabilities will mean that devices will become ever smarter and more responsive to the growing demands of modern applications.
