As mentioned in Micron Technology’s most recent quarterly financial
conference call, the deal with Nanya Technology on sub-50nm DRAM design
and process technology - signed in March - has progressed to include a
new 300mm DRAM manufacturing joint venture, dubbed MeiYa Technology
Corporation.
Both companies will initially own 50 percent of the joint venture, each
contributing $550 million in cash to the new business by the end of
2009. The deal also confirms press reports that Nanya is to convert Fab
2, a 200mm DRAM fab, to 300mm wafer fabrication, with conversion
starting this year and due to come on-stream sometime in 2009.
“This
partnership brings greater scale and efficiency to the DRAM
manufacturing operations of both parent companies, and Micron is
pleased to officially enter into this joint venture with Nanya,” said
Mark Durcan (pictured), Micron’s President and Chief Operating Officer.
“We are sure that MeiYa will demonstrate the synergistic
combinations of Nanya and Micron’s strength in the DRAM industry,” said
Dr. Jih Lien, Nanya’s President. “Nanya has a very high expectation for
this new entity.”
Both companies had previously said that they
were planning future 300mm facilities but no groundbreaking timelines
had been given. Micron is currently completing the conversion from
200mm to 300mm DRAM production at TECH Semiconductor in Singapore,
which is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Nanya is
currently ramping Fab3A, its first 300mm DRAM fab, which started
production in the fourth quarter of 2007.