High density, low power consumption and high-speed functionality of the eco-friendly DRAM device make it attractive for smartphones, netbooks and MIDs.
Samples of the 2-Gbit DDR2 Mobile RAM are shipping since October 2009. Mass production is scheduled for first half 2010.
Go Elpida 2-Gbit DDR2 Mobile RAM
Let’s call it “Memory Card Music”. SanDisk and the four major music companies launch slotMusic, a compact memory card with a music album, plus extras. The music is sold in MP3 format with no digital locks to prevent copying. An adapter allows users to transfer their music to PCs via their USB slots.
The SlotMusic albums cost about $15 and retailers like Wal-Mart and Best Buy will stock these albums near CDs and portable devices.
Go SanDisk Enters Music Market
Headquartered in Switzerland and incorporated in the Netherlands, Numonyx begins with 7000 employees worldwide with facilities in USA, Italy, China, Israel, Singapore, Malaysia, and Philippines.
Numonyx gets a substanial worldwide patent portfolio from parents Intel and STMicroelectronics. The patents and applications cover a variety of technologies including flash memory and PCM, graphics, cell phones, storage media, processors, semiconductor manufacturing and packaging, and various consumer devices.
The new company starts as a dedicated memory specialist serving customers who make a variety of consumer and industrial devices including cellular phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, ultra-mobile computers and other high-tech equipment.
The company is the leading provider of NOR flash memory and holds a considerable line-up of NAND technologies and DRAM products. Numonyx becomes 3rd largest non-volatile memory provider with approximately US$3 billion annual revenue.
Go Numonyx
Micron and Nanya Technology sign a preliminary deal to set up a joint venture and cooperate on technology development.
Financial terms of the agreement weren't disclosed. The deal centers on collaborating on technology for making DRAMs.
Micron is the biggest U.S. DRAM maker by revenue. Nanya is Taiwan's second-biggest producer (after Powerchip Semiconductor Corp.)
Prices of DRAM chips fell nearly 80% in the past year.
The weak environment is forcing DRAM makers globally to seek partners to share the cost of shrinking circuitry to boost data-storage capacity. Sony. and Qimonda AG agreed last October to form a JV to design DRAM for consumer and graphics applications.
Collaborating with Micron could bring Nanya to "stack" technology. (Nanya now uses trench technology.)
For both companies, this deal could help share R&D cost and add production capacity less expensively than the company could alone.