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To: Michael Sphar who wrote (70)	9/1/1998 10:21:00 PM
From: Michael Sphar	Respond to of 105

Germany sues Korea in US and Germany: A service of Semiconductor Business News, CMP Media Inc. Story posted at 3:15 p.m. EDT/12:15 p.m. PDT, 8/31/98 Siemens files DRAM patent suit against LG Semicon CUPERTINO, Calif. -- Siemens Microelectronics Inc. announced here today that the company, along with its parent firm in Germany, has filed a patent infringement suit against LG Semicon Co. Ltd. Filed in U.S. district court in Delaware, the suit alleges LG has violated seven Siemens patents related to the design and production of 16- and 64-megabit DRAM chips. Jan DuPreez, vice president of memory products for Siemens Microelectronics, said the suit is seeking financial compensation, and also demands that LG be barred from selling the infringing devices. A similar suit has been filed by Siemens AG in Germany, but DuPreez said the company also launched a suit here to protect its stake in the huge U.S. market, some 40% of the worldwide DRAM total. DuPreez said the patents are related to "any and all 16- and 64-megabit" DRAM devices, but he declined to elaborate on which specific design elements or manufacturing technologies are in question, or on whether it is focused on the newer PC100 chips or older devices that use a 66 MHz bus speed. Although 64-megabit chips are rapidly ramping into the dominant position in the memory market this year, 16-megabit devices are older technology. "We noticed this infringement a while ago," he added. Officials at LG Semicon could not be reached for comment. Siemens has been bleeding red ink in its memory operations this summer, and announced last month that it would close a 16-megabit DRAM fab in North Tyneside, England, following losses so far of $560 million in its chip-making businesses (see July 31 story). However, DuPreez reasserted the company's commitment to be a major DRAM player. "We are in this business for the long term, and we are in it in a big way," he said. "We expect to hold 10% market share in 1999."

To: Michael Sphar who wrote (70)	9/1/1998 10:25:00 PM
From: Michael Sphar	Respond to of 105

Japanese firms slate US subsidiarys for closure/consolidation: #reply-5648154

To: Michael Sphar who wrote (70)	9/1/1998 10:27:00 PM
From: Michael Sphar	Respond to of 105

A service of Semiconductor Business News, CMP Media Inc. Story posted at 1:30 p.m. EDT/10:30 a.m. PDT, 9/1/98 DRAM module revenues slip along with chip price plunge PHOENIX--Semico Research Corp. here today said DRAM module revenues will drop 19% to $14 billion in 1998 because of lower average selling prices (ASPs) for memories this year. The drop, however, is not as bad as the plunge in revenues for individual DRAM chips, which are expected to be 29% lower than last year. DRAM chip revenues will total just $14.0 billion in 1998 compared to $19.8 billion in 1997, said analyst Sherry Garber of Semico. With the 1998 drop, DRAM chip revenues will have fallen three consecutive years from the record high of $40.8 billion in 1995, she added. In the DRAM module segment, suppliers are more insulated from the falling ASPs because they have more margin, and systems continue to use modules with more memory storage. Today, more than 80% of DRAM worldwide now reach end users in modules, according to Semico. The decline in DRAM chip prices has flatten during the summer months partly because memory makers have cut back production, Garber said. However, she does not consider it to be a clear signal of a recovery because "production can be turned back on within 60 days." "We don't expect to see revenues to grow significantly again until at least two more suppliers pull completely out of the market," Garber said. Changes in high-speed memory requirements in PCs will change the market demand and will result in higher average selling prices in the coming year. Meanwhile in the DRAM module arena, the number of suppliers is expected to drop with the decline of market revenues, said the research firm. As the requirements to participate become more demanding and expensive, the dropouts will exceed the entrants, Semico predicted. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Kingston Technology Co. were the No.1 and 2 vendors in the DRAM module market in 1997, respectively.

To: Michael Sphar who wrote (70)	9/1/1998 10:30:00 PM
From: Michael Sphar	Respond to of 105

And here comes more DRAM module supply from Korea: A service of Semiconductor Business News, CMP Media Inc. Story posted noon EDT/9 a.m. PDT, 9/1/98 Samsung claims largest memory module in industry By Jack Robertson SEOUL, South Korea -- Samsung Electronics Co. here today unveiled a 1-gigabyte SDRAM module using thirty-six 256-megabit chips, which it claimed is the largest memory module yet in the industry. The module stacks 36 of the second-generation 256-SDRAM chips in two layers. Samsung claimed the chips were made using 0.18-micron processes, the most aggressive design rules yet for memory chips. The Korean firm said the 1-Gbyte modules are now ready for mass production. They are expected to be used in servers, workstations, digital TV, 3-D graphics systems, and other high-performance applications. The modules will be available in a 128-Mbit x 72 configuration in a 168-pin DIMM package. The module will meet Intel PC100 specifications, but the 256-Mbit SDRAM chips themselves are rated at 167 MHz. Operating voltage is 3.3 volts.

To: Michael Sphar who wrote (70)	9/1/1998 10:39:00 PM
From: Michael Sphar	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 105

NEC takes a step to achieve differentiation, and licensing position: A service of Semiconductor Business News, CMP Media Inc. Story posted at 11:45 a.m. EDT/8:45 a.m. PDT, 8/31/98 NEC's design is accepted as Jedec standard TOKYO -- NEC Corp. today said its virtual channel memory (VCM) core design for DRAMs has been accepted as a Jedec (Joint Electron Devices Engineering Council) standard to allow faster memory access. Instead of enhancing the memory bus interface, the NEC approach is to improve the basic DRAM core's operational speed. The VCM design allows the memory core to perform simultaneous foreground and background operations for multitasking. NEC said the faster DRAM speed can thus be obtained with minimal changes to memory interfaces and the BIOS of the PC. The Jedec-approved VCM standard can be used for single data rate or double data rate DRAMs. The Japanese chip maker is hoping that the Jedec standard will lead to VCM being adopted by more memory device suppliers to increase its use in industry.