-
News & Analysis
- Latest News
- Semiconductor News
- Digital Editions
- EE Times: Confidential
News & Analysis
|
|
|
Tweet
|
Comment
EFosters
2/17/2011 2:24 PM EST
I think Micron is going to have a tougher time in NOR now that Spansion is "back ...More...
resistion
1/13/2011 9:49 PM EST
Micron going into NOR surprised many, since OTP is penetrating deeper into Mb ...More...
More Comments >
Micron COO sees mixed memory demand
Mark LaPedus
1/12/2011 1:08 AM EST
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - There is a mixed picture for memory in 2011, according to Mark Durcan, president and chief operating officer at Micron Technology Inc.
During an interview at SEMI's Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) here, Durcan summerized the memory landscape: DRAM is ''bumpy.'' NAND flash is robust. And surprisingly, NOR is stable, with select shortages in the market. At ISS, he also discussed several manufacturing issues..
For some time, the DRAM market has been soft amid lackluster PC demand. Durcan dismissed the notion that the current DRAM slowdown is like the massive downturn in 2009. During that downturn, there was excess capacity, not to mention a recession.
''It's nothing like that'' in DRAMs right now, he told EE Times. ''That's not going on at all.''
In this cycle, there is some softness in demand. ''It's going to be bumpy in the DRAM space,'' he said.
The price of DRAMs and DRAM modules continued to decline in December and nothing is likely to prevent the slide continuing for at least another six months, according to market research firm iSuppli in a recent report.
At present, Micron is ramping up a 42-nm DRAM line, with a 3x-nm family due in the next quarter. The company's DRAM partner, Taiwan's Nanya Technology Corp., has struggled to ramp up Micron's DRAM technology. But now, the ramp is ''all on track now,'' Durcan said.
In NAND, however, it's a different story. ''The apps are growing so rapidly,'' Durcan said. The supply/demand picture is ''relatively balanced.''
''NAND has been on a tear in the last two months thanks to strong demand from tablets. Expectations for these devices are high, given the iPad’s early success. There were more than 30 tablets unveiled at this year’s consumer electronics show in Las Vegas. All this activity in the tablet space is keeping NAND supply tight, which in turn is boosting spot prices across the board,'' according to VLSI Research Inc.
Meanwhile, Micron has begun producing limited NAND wafers at its new 300-mm fab in Singapore, but the company is missing an important piece of the puzzle: Intel Corp. The chip giant is not investing in the Singapore fab, as previously thought.
For years, Intel and Micron have had a successful NAND manufacturing venture called IM Flash Technologies LLC. The venture has one 300-mm fab in Lehi, Utah, which is producing 25-nm NAND devices. Both Intel and Micron share the output.
For some time, IM Flash has been readying a new fab in Singapore, dubbed IM Flash Singapore (IMFS). The fab is producing some wafers, with mass production due in mid-2011.
Intel was expected to be a capital spending and production partner in the Singapore fab. However, Intel ''is not participating'' in terms of capital spending in the Singapore fab.
Durcan said Micron and Intel still have a strong relationship. But amid a change in the Singapore fab alliance, Micron now has access to 100 percent of the output in the fab, allowing it to meet robust customer demand, Durcan said.
On the NOR front, Micron last year bought Numonyx. The move gave Micron an entry into the NOR market. Micron also sells DRAM and NAND, giving it a complete line of memory products. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is the only other vendor that sells DRAM, NAND and NOR.
Micron's acquisition of Numonyx has been embraced by customers, he said. In fact, the NOR market is ''relatively stable,'' he said. But ''we're supply constrained in a number of markets,'' namely in embedded and wireless, he added.
During an interview at SEMI's Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) here, Durcan summerized the memory landscape: DRAM is ''bumpy.'' NAND flash is robust. And surprisingly, NOR is stable, with select shortages in the market. At ISS, he also discussed several manufacturing issues..
For some time, the DRAM market has been soft amid lackluster PC demand. Durcan dismissed the notion that the current DRAM slowdown is like the massive downturn in 2009. During that downturn, there was excess capacity, not to mention a recession.
''It's nothing like that'' in DRAMs right now, he told EE Times. ''That's not going on at all.''
In this cycle, there is some softness in demand. ''It's going to be bumpy in the DRAM space,'' he said.
The price of DRAMs and DRAM modules continued to decline in December and nothing is likely to prevent the slide continuing for at least another six months, according to market research firm iSuppli in a recent report.
At present, Micron is ramping up a 42-nm DRAM line, with a 3x-nm family due in the next quarter. The company's DRAM partner, Taiwan's Nanya Technology Corp., has struggled to ramp up Micron's DRAM technology. But now, the ramp is ''all on track now,'' Durcan said.
In NAND, however, it's a different story. ''The apps are growing so rapidly,'' Durcan said. The supply/demand picture is ''relatively balanced.''
''NAND has been on a tear in the last two months thanks to strong demand from tablets. Expectations for these devices are high, given the iPad’s early success. There were more than 30 tablets unveiled at this year’s consumer electronics show in Las Vegas. All this activity in the tablet space is keeping NAND supply tight, which in turn is boosting spot prices across the board,'' according to VLSI Research Inc.
Meanwhile, Micron has begun producing limited NAND wafers at its new 300-mm fab in Singapore, but the company is missing an important piece of the puzzle: Intel Corp. The chip giant is not investing in the Singapore fab, as previously thought.
For years, Intel and Micron have had a successful NAND manufacturing venture called IM Flash Technologies LLC. The venture has one 300-mm fab in Lehi, Utah, which is producing 25-nm NAND devices. Both Intel and Micron share the output.
For some time, IM Flash has been readying a new fab in Singapore, dubbed IM Flash Singapore (IMFS). The fab is producing some wafers, with mass production due in mid-2011.
Intel was expected to be a capital spending and production partner in the Singapore fab. However, Intel ''is not participating'' in terms of capital spending in the Singapore fab.
Durcan said Micron and Intel still have a strong relationship. But amid a change in the Singapore fab alliance, Micron now has access to 100 percent of the output in the fab, allowing it to meet robust customer demand, Durcan said.
On the NOR front, Micron last year bought Numonyx. The move gave Micron an entry into the NOR market. Micron also sells DRAM and NAND, giving it a complete line of memory products. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is the only other vendor that sells DRAM, NAND and NOR.
Micron's acquisition of Numonyx has been embraced by customers, he said. In fact, the NOR market is ''relatively stable,'' he said. But ''we're supply constrained in a number of markets,'' namely in embedded and wireless, he added.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|