A new report predicts that demand for NAND flash memory in cell phones will more than triple by 2013, with a majority of that need being driven by Apple and its iPhone.

In all, sales of solid state memory in phones are predicted to have a nearly sixfold increase in the span from 2008 to 2013, with nearly $1 billion in revenue from flash memory sales by the end of that span.

The new report from iSuppli credits Apple for the growth in popularity of flash memory in smartphones. In 2008, NAND flash generated $166.5 million in revenue, and in 2009 it is projected to bring in $284.3 million.

“Soaring sales of smart phones, combined with the increasing density

of NAND flash in each handset, is causing sales of the memory in this area to boom,” said Michael Yang, senior analyst for mobile and emerging memories at iSuppli. “NAND flash makers can thank Apple Inc. for starting this trend, with its iPhone models injecting new life into the memory market. However, with the introduction of the a new generation of ‘iPhone killers,’ multiple smart-phone makers now are helping to drive NAND demand.”

The iPhone maker is predicted to continue using up much of the solid state memory supply with its expansion into China. The country of over 1 billion is predicted to buy millions of phones from Apple. It is expected that the phone’s availability will be announced by February 2010.

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