Key Nintendo Switch Cartridge Supplier To Phase Out ROM Production
The physical games market is on thin ice, with Sony adamant on putting a stop to physical discs for new PlayStation games. Although other companies have yet to follow suit, supply constraints may push them to make a similar decision. Apparently, Taiwanese semiconductor and memory manufacturer Macronix will be exiting the ROM business. The firm […] The post Key Nintendo Switch Cartridge Supplier…
In a move driven by the AI boom and ongoing memory shortages, Taiwanese semiconductor and memory manufacturer Macronix will phase out its ROM production, reports Taipei Times. Currently serving as the primary supplier of ROM chips for Nintendo Switch game cartridges, Macronix will instead focus on NAND and NOR flash memory chips.
CEO Miin Wu revealed that the company's demand for NOR flash memory, used in data centers, is "very robust", while the ROM market is dwindling. Despite reporting record-high profits, Macronix's ROM products only accounted for 5% of overall revenue, a 39% decline compared to last year.
While Macronix isn't the only ROM supplier for Switch cartridges, Nintendo is unlikely to discontinue physical media anytime soon. The change will only impact the original Switch, as Switch 2 cartridges use NAND chips, which aren't going away. Digital products now account for 61.5% of Nintendo's software sales, with Sony reporting an 85% digital-to-physical ratio.
Nintendo has yet to comment on this development, though their VP and General Manager for Latin America, Bill van Zyll, affirmed no plans to ditch physical media, stating they take consumer preferences into account.
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