Author: Jim Handy

World Record ReRAM and More

Photo of Ron Neale, Renowned Phase-Change Memory ExpertRon Neale joins us to look at a new World Record for Oxide-ReRAMs.  Here he explores the possibility that, rather than an analogue-like device with a continuum of conduction states, the resolution limit of conductance stems from discrete building blocks or nano-filaments that define the changes between those states.  A dichotomy of views on oxide ReRAM operation is part of the mix.

For Oxide ReRAM watchers, one of the highlights of the first half of 2023 was Continue reading “World Record ReRAM and More”

Where Are We in the Memory Cycle?

My regular clients who get quarterly in-person market updates and those readers who have attended my annual Flash Market Update session at the Flash Memory Summit have often been told how Objective Analysis models the memory market based on supply/demand dynamics and the fact that memory chip prices tend to follow a very predictable pattern.  In this post The Memory Guy blog will explain that Continue reading “Where Are We in the Memory Cycle?”

Micron Closed Out of Some China Markets

Logos for both Micron and the Cybersecurity Administration of ChinaOn May 21 a government agency in China issued a ruling to prevent Micron Technology products from being used in systems that handle critical information.  This is the outcome of an investigation that the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) opened in March, accusing the company of cybersecurity crimes.

This Memory Guy blog post examines the impact of Continue reading “Micron Closed Out of Some China Markets”

Infineon Introduces NOR with an LPDDR Interface

Block diagram of a system superimposed over a ghost view of an auto. The system shows a microcontroller communicating with a SEMPER X1 LPDDR NOR flash chip.Infineon recently introduced a NOR flash chip with an LPDDR interface.  Some clients have asked The Memory Guy: “Why would Infineon have done that?”

After all, LPDDR is mostly used in cell phones, and these boot from the enormous NAND flash that’s already in the phone.  A byte of NAND is a couple of orders of magnitude cheaper than a byte of NOR, so a cell phone’s not going to use this part.

Infineon tells us that their target market is Continue reading “Infineon Introduces NOR with an LPDDR Interface”

In Memoriam: Gordon Moore

Photo of Gordon Moore in the 1970sToday Gordon Moore, a figurehead in the semiconductor industry, passed away at 94 years of age.  He will be sorely missed by the semiconductor industry.

Moore, the namesake of Moore’s Law, cofounded both Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel Corporation.  He was an unassuming genius and visionary who, as a part of Intel’s leadership triumvirate in the company’s main growth phase, provided Continue reading “In Memoriam: Gordon Moore”

Semiconductor Collapse Runs Slightly Behind Schedule

Partial view of a graph, only showing a dashed straight black line, a red bump above, red dashes falling back to the black, and a blue line to the right of the red dashed line.The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) recently released its January semiconductor market revenue figures.  January revenues were down 5.2% month-on-month, and 18.5% from January 2022.  Things are pretty bad.

The Memory Guy decided to compare the current situation to the forecast that I was sharing with my clients last October, five months ago.  At that time my company predicted that 2022 revenues would Continue reading “Semiconductor Collapse Runs Slightly Behind Schedule”

A Very Revealing ULTRARAM Update

Photo of Ron Neale, Renowned Phase-Change Memory ExpertContributor Ron Neale returns to The Memory Guy blog with a deeper analysis of the University of Lancaster’s ULTRARAM, which was first announced relatively recently, in early 2020.  This post includes his revealing interchange with the university’s Professor Manus Hayne, a key member of the ULTRARAM program, in which the professor indicates that GaAs ICs and Chiplets might be the way ahead for this technology.

Ron tells me that this is the first mention that he is aware of for Continue reading “A Very Revealing ULTRARAM Update”

Memory Market Down, but a Turnaround is Coming

[Post updated 14 Feb. with Kioxia data, a margin chart, and to correct an error.]

The quarterly results of most memory companies have been reported, and revenues, gigabyte shipments, and prices are all down.  Most of the profits have been taken out of the business.

This is not an unusual situation for Continue reading “Memory Market Down, but a Turnaround is Coming”

The Future of Chalcogenide Switching

Photo of Ron Neale, Renowned Phase-Change Memory ExpertIn this post in The Memory Guy blog, the first of a 2-part series, Ron Neale returns to explore the present state-of-play for chalcogenide-based switching and memory, with a plea for continuation of research.  Along the way he invokes a three-point law for determining the probability of success for would be emerging memory entrepreneurs.

Does PCM still have a chance to become an important new memory technology?  Intel’s abandonment of their Optane memory project, while sad, after so much effort and expense, does not and should not Continue reading “The Future of Chalcogenide Switching”