DRAM Consolidation?
sure looks like it
John Walko
EE Times Europe
(03/03/2008 5:18 AM EST)
LONDON — Micron Technology and Nanya Technology Corp have confirmed they plan a joint venture in DRAMs and a partnership in research and development.
Rumors started circulating late last month that the two companies were in discussions on possible partnerships.
The companies said Monday (March 3) an agreement is expected to be signed in the next few months on a joint program in DRAM development and design focusing on sub-50 nanometer technologies.
If a deal is reached, the move could be a blow to Germany's Qimonda AG, which is Nanya's DRAM partner in Taiwan.
Those companies have a joint venture in Taiwan, dubbed Inotera. Inotera was founded as a joint fab venture by Qimonda and Nanya Technology in Taiwan. The venture has two 300-mm fabs.
"Partnering with Nanya would be significant to Micron as we continue to drive toward the most cost-effective ways to grow and innovate. Nanya has proven its capabilities to be a leader in manufacturing technology and is strategically located near our growing customer base," said Mark Durcan, Micron's President and Chief Operating Officer.
Micron and Nanya sign MOU on DRAM partnership
Qimonda could sell its Inotera stake and focus on specialty DRAM etc. it's going to be hard to compete in commodity DRAM and it's going to drag down Nanya who needs a stronger partner.
1.) Nanya is lagging in regards to die size 8F2 vesus 6F2
2.) Copper will be mandatory @ 65nm and below (at least according to DRAM interconnect roadmap); Micron is the only memory guy that runs copper in production for some time
3.) Micron, Sammy and Hynicks all settled on stack capacitor versus trench capacitor; not sure about Elpida but Qimonda seems to be the only one that still banks on trench
4.) Nanya got leap frogged 512Mb versus 1Gb; what I recall backend testing is significantly less for higher density
Micron, Nanya confirm DRAM joint ventures
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Press release, March 3; Esther Lam, DIGITIMES [Monday 3 March 2008]
Micron Technology and Nanya Technology jointly announced today that the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore potential technology sharing, joint technology development and development of a new joint venture. A joint development program for DRAM development and design would be created with a focus on sub-50nm technologies. Definitive agreements are expected to be signed in the next few months.
The partnership would leverage Micron and Nanya's manufacturing technology, strengths and experience to successfully compete in the global DRAM business through greater scale and efficiency, the companies said.
"Partnering with Nanya would be significant to Micron as we continue to drive toward the most cost-effective ways to grow and innovate. Nanya has proven its capabilities to be a leader in manufacturing technology and is strategically located near our growing customer base," said Mark Durcan, Micron's president and COO.
"We look forward to partnering with Micron, a proven innovative technology leader in the DRAM industry. The partnership with Micron will combine the strengths of both companies, mutually benefit the competitiveness of both companies and bring cost-effective solutions to our customers," said Jih Lien, Nanya's president. |
