Numonyx and Elpida Memories have signed a letter of intent to enter
into a foundry agreement that would see Elpida fabricate 65nm NOR flash
devices at its 300mm wafer fab in Hiroshima, starting in mid-2009. The
agreement is expected to be finalized in the current quarter and also
includes 45nm production, though Numonyx did not say whether this would
also include its phase-change memory devices at that node, revealed
earlier this year by the company.
“Their [Numonyx's] innovative process design will enable Elpida to
extend the life of production equipment,” said Yukio Sakamoto,
President and CEO of Elpida. “We are going to leverage our world-class
expertise in 300mm manufacturing technology to manufacture and supply
high quality products for foundry customers.”
In
June 2008, Elpida announced that they had secured a foundry agreement
with NEC Electronics to fabricate display driver ICs at Elpida’s 300mm
fab, the first foundry contract Elpida had signed.
“The decision
to partner with Elpida is good for our customers and good business,”
said Brian Harrison, President and CEO at Numonyx. “Working with Elpida
means that we are able to collaborate with a proven technology company
with highly-efficient facilities and large-scale capacity that can help
us deliver on that promise in the most cost-effective way.”