Taiwan’s largest computer memory chipmaker on Tuesday forecast a jump in demand for its components in the second quarter of the year as orders from contract computer manufacturers pick up, heralding an all-but-certain DRAM price hikes.

The price of DRAM, the main memory chips inside personal computers, may tick up in coming months as stronger demand for laptop and desktop computers with new microprocessors from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) drives stronger PC buying, analysts and market researchers say.

The price of DRAM, the main memory inside personal computers, will likely keep falling throughout the first half of next year before a recovery takes hold, analysts and market researchers say.

Prices of DRAM, the main memory chips used in personal computers, fell for the first time in over a year in June as companies increased production and PC vendors toughened their stance on further price increases.

European antitrust regulators fined nine semiconductor manufacturers more than €331 million (US$404 million) on Wednesday following a years-long investigation into price fixing in the market for DRAM memory chips.

While worldwide semiconductor sales in January were up just slightly from December, they wildly outpaced numbers from the same time a year ago.

Global revenue for DRAM more than doubled during the fourth quarter of 2009 on a year-over-year basis, driven by increased PC shipments and higher average selling prices, research firm iSuppli said on Thursday.

Memory manufacturer, Lexar Media, is planning to expand its market presence beyond traditional retail in Australia in 2010.

DRAM makers are facing one of the worst downturns in their history and governments around the world are lining up to help companies through the mess.