Interviu

Sfarsitul anului trecut ne-a gasit in Taipei, Taiwan, unde am vizitat mai multe companii importante din domeniu, pentru a vedea ce pregatesc acestea pentru 2026, dar si pentru a sta de vorba despre directia in care se indreapta piata in general, in special in contextul actual al crizei memoriilor.

Astfel, am avut ocazia sa discutam cu doamna Pamela Chang – Senior Project Manager of Product Marketing ADATA – care ne-a oferit mai multe detalii despre produsele lansate la CES, situatia pietei memoriilor RAM in 2026, cat despre directia companiei in viitor, de la stocare si pana la AI.

1 – Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. It hasn’t been a long time since our last interview, and yet, there were some significant changes in the industry during this time. What is your opinion on the DRAM crysis and how do you expect it will affect your business in 2026?

A: Over the past year, the DRAM industry has gone through a period of significant adjustment, including a restructuring of the supply landscape, a concentration of investments in advanced process technologies, and crowding-out effects driven by the rapid growth of AI and server demand.

From ADATA’s perspective, this is not simply a short-term downturn, but rather a structural transition. While market conditions may remain relatively tight in 2026, this environment also encourages us to focus more on higher value-added products, such as high-speed DDR5 solutions and memory offerings for AI and enterprise applications. Overall, we see this phase as an acceleration of industry upgrading, rather than just a temporary disruption.

2 – Do you think the impact on consumers will be long lasting – will it extend beyond 2026 – and also have implications in other areas of the hardware industry (for instance graphic card prices, motherboard prices, etc).

A: In 2026, consumers are expected to continue feeling changes in pricing and product mix, particularly in high-performance and high-capacity segments.

As for other areas of the hardware market, memory and storage are inherently part of overall system costs, so some level of spillover impact is inevitable. However, the extent of this impact will depend on the strategies and market positioning of individual component suppliers, rather than resulting in across-the-board price increases.

3 – What do you think will be the most important new products ADATA will show at this year’s CES?

A: At this year’s CES, our focus will be on three key areas: high-performance DDR5 memory, PCIe Gen5 SSDs, and storage and memory solutions closely aligned with AI applications.

First, we will showcase innovative hybrid storage and memory integration solutions, intelligent management platforms and analytics tools for edge computing, as well as Gen5 SSDs designed for high-efficiency computing in AI PCs, highlighting a comprehensive approach to AI applications.

Second, we will present our first DDR5 CUDIMM memory supporting a 4-rank architecture, along with DDR5 memory solutions that combine performance with sustainability.

Third, we will introduce external SSDs featuring USB4 and NFC technologies, bringing our vision of a sustainable and intelligent digital lifestyle into practice.

These products are not merely specification upgrades; they reflect a shift in real-world usage scenarios. From gaming and content creation to AI workloads, our goal is to deliver more complete and mature solutions tailored to evolving user needs.

4 – There have also seen some important news in the PCI-E Gen 5 SSD area in 2025. Is ADATA ready to launch SSD’s based on the new Phison controller?

A: We have maintained close collaboration with our key controller partners and have continuously carried out extensive validation and testing on next-generation PCIe platforms.

ADATA’s strategy and philosophy are centered on ensuring that performance, stability, and real-world user experience all meet our standards, so that we can deliver the best possible experience to our users.

5 – What was the issue with SE940 taking so long between the first announcement (CES 2025) and widespread availability? Will we see it in stores in Q1 or H1 2026?

A: First, the official name of this new product has not yet been finalized and will be formally announced prior to launch. During the development process, we conducted multiple rounds of optimization in areas such as thermal management, power efficiency, and long-term stability, all of which are critical challenges for PCIe Gen5 SSDs.

While this extended the time to market, we believe the extra time invested was necessary and worthwhile. The product is now approaching mass production, with a target to be gradually introduced to the market in the first half of 2026.

6 – How is TRUSTA, the ADATA AI centric brand, received by the market? Are you preparing any exciting news in this direction for 2026?

A: TRUSTA is set to participate in several industry-leading exhibitions this year. Our tour commences in March with Embedded World, in collaboration with IA, followed by the China Flash Market Summit on March 27th.

7 – Lancer Neon RGB introduced a very interesting design, now you are taking that even further with Novakey RGB. How important do you think design is for PC memory?

A: Design has become an essential part of PC memory, especially in the high-end and gaming segments. For users, memory is no longer just a functional component, but an integral part of the overall system aesthetic.

Beyond performance, we aim to use design and lighting to give our products greater personality and stronger visual identity, which is a direction XPG will continue to invest in.

8 – Any plans to extend the excellent XPG Fusion line-up? Maybe a 1300W model, or a 2200W model in the future?

A: No plan for now.

9 – Which new ADATA product are you most excited about and why?

A: I am particularly excited about products that combine high performance with real-world use cases, especially memory and SSD solutions related to AI, content creators, and high-performance computing. Examples include Novakey RGB, the MARS 970 PLUS, and external SSDs featuring USB4 and NFC technologies.

These products are not merely showcases of specifications; they are key solutions that can meaningfully change how users work and create.

10 – Thank you very much for your time! We look forward to seeing the exciting developments from ADATA in the future.