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40 SMT007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2025 Competitive Intelligence: Staying One Step Ahead In the EMS world, you're not just selling your services; you're selling why you're better than the shop down the road or across the Pacific. AI- driven competitive intelligence tools assist by track- ing what your rivals are up to. These tools scrape public data—competitor websites, industry reports, even social media—to reveal their pricing, capabili- ties, and market moves. Want to know if a compet- itor is touting a new automated optical inspection system? AI can tell you, so you can counter with your own strengths. We all say something like, "Our service speaks for itself; we don't need to watch the competition." This is true if you're running your business correctly. The point is that, as competitors shift to meet changes in demand and develop new niches of expertise, it's valu- able to know, and perhaps respond. Bringing It All Together AI will not replace the human touch in sales for EMS companies. The goal, however, is to 5 make your team smarter, faster, and more effective. Whether it's scoring leads, forecasting demand, crafting custom pitches, engaging prospects 24/7, or outsmarting competitors, AI gives you tools to tackle these front-of-house complexities. It's not plug-and-play, however. You will need clean data and a team trained to use these tools without losing the relationship-building that seals EMS deals. Don't overlook integrating AI with your CRM to tie it all together and keep your sales pipe- line humming. SMT007 The three major DRAM suppliers continue to allocate ad- vanced process capacity primarily to high-end server DRAM and HBM, crowding out capacity for PC, mobile, and consum- er applications. Combined with diverging demand across end products, this dynamic is keeping legacy-process DRAM price hikes pronounced, while newer-generation products are seeing more modest gains. Overall, conventional DRAM pric- es are expected to rise 8–13% QoQ in 4Q25, and when HBM is included, the increase could widen to 13-18%. Server DRAM demand is benefiting from recovering build-out momentum among CSPs, with DDR5 products in particular seeing sustained strength. Both U.S. and CSPs are projected to sharply increase procurement in 2026. Some U.S. CSPs, seeking to secure adequate supply, are even planning to begin procurement as early as 4Q25, adopting a more flexible stance on pricing. Despite suppliers' active capacity adjustments, several uncertainties remain—technical issues at certain vendors, as well as suppliers' plans to prioritize HBM4 capacity in 1H26—leaving DDR5 supply conditions unsettled. Prices are therefore expected to remain on an upward trajectory in 4Q25. Additionally, while some suppliers have extend- ed DDR4 production for specific clients, robust demand is sustaining significant price hikes for DDR4 as well. LPDDR4X—used in mid- and low-end smartphones—is seeing supply continue to shrink as suppliers cut bit out- put. Brands have stepped up procurement to avoid sup- ply disruptions, exacerbating the imbalance and pushing LPDDR4X prices to climb more than 10% QoQ in 4Q25. LP- DDR5X adoption is expanding beyond premium smart- phones into other device categories. Although no immedi- ate shortages are apparent, supply dynamics and pricing strategies suggest that LPDDR5X prices will continue ris- ing in 4Q25. Suppliers remain firm on pricing for consumer DDR4, de- spite offering limited supply. However, end-product sales have not shown a strong rebound, and following near-dou- bling of DDR4 prices in 3Q25, buyers have scaled back re- stocking. Consequently, DDR4 price growth is expected to moderate in 4Q25. Meanwhile, DDR3 continues to see ear- ly procurement demand. Combined with capacity displace- ment and rapid inventory digestion, DDR3 prices are pro- jected to keep climbing. (Source: TrendForce) DRAM Prices to Continue Rising in 4Q25