DRAM chipmaker Inotera Memories has reported net losses of NT$613 million (US$20.55 million) or NT$0.11 per share for the first quarter of 2013. But the company is expected to swing back to profitability in the second quarter with a net profit reaching as high as NT$5 billion thanks to continual rising memory chip prices, according to industry observers.

Echoing the view from the industry observers, Inotera president Charles Kao stated that the company's performance for the second quarter will be much better than that in the first.

The bit growth of Inotera's DRAM shipments is expected to increase by more than 10pp sequentially in the second quarter as the company has continued ramping up the output of its 30nm process, Kao noted.

Inotera also plans to start producing 30nm memory products for high-end servers and in-car devices, said the company, adding that the company's input of wafer starts for the 30nm process has reached 100,000 units a month.

Inotera will build up trial production lines for its 20nm process by the end of 2013 with volume production scheduled to begin in 2014, Kao revealed.

The company's capex spending amounted to NT$2.1 billion in the first quarter of 2013 and will reach NT$4.5 billion for all of the year, said Inotera.