Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s biggest computer memory chipmaker, held on to the top position in the NAND flash memory chip market in the first quarter of the year on the back of its cutting-edge technology, data showed on Sunday.

According to the data compiled by market information provider iSupply, Samsung sold NAND flash memory chips worth $2.03 billion in January-March, accounting for 38.5 percent of the global market.

NAND flash memory chips are used for smartphones and other mobile devices.

Toshiba Corp. of Japan came in next with $1.71 billion sales, or a 32.4 percent share, followed by Micron Technology Inc. of the U.S. with $920 million or 17.1 percent and SK Hynix Inc. with $638 million or 12.1 percent, the data showed.

Samsung has started to mass-produce 128 Gb NAND flash memory chips based on 10-nanometer class technology this year in a move to cement its leadership and weather an industry-wide downturn.

iSupply said the portion of NAND flash memory devices using 10-nanometer class technology will rise to 45.3 percent of Samsung’s NAND flash memory products in the second quarter of the year from the 9.5-percent in the first quarter.

The finer the technology, the cheaper and more cost-effective it is to mass-produce memory chips, which in turn results in better margins. (Yonhap News)