Elpida Memory will continue to strengthen its ties with Taiwan's PC ecosystem, offering sufficient supply of DRAM chips, according to company CEO Yukio Sakamoto speaking at a recent event held by Asustek Computer. Elpida will also cooperate closely with DRAM partners in Taiwan, including Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC), Rexchip Electronics and ProMOS Technologies, Sakamoto added.
Previous reports cited industry sources saying Asustek, Dell, Sony and other PC vendors were trying to reach agreements with Taiwan-based DRAM makers, which mainly supply to the spot market, for three-month supplies of computer-memory chips. Memory price tracker DRAMeXchange also pointed out in a recent report that a combination of positive factors including replacement demand for Windows 7 would help trigger a period of profitability for the DRAM industry during 2010-2012.
Elpida has revealed plans to work with Rexchip, in which it owns a 64% stake, on the development of 40nm with 4F2 process technology. The plans include the establishment of an R&D center at Rexchip. The moves aim to help the subsidiary build and grow its in-house developed DRAM technology portfolio.
Rexchip has ramped up chip production using Elpida's 63nm, and aims to convert all of its production capacity to the node by year-end 2010, according to industry sources. Longer-than-expected delivery times for immersion scanners has prompted Rexchip to postpone its production schedule for 45nm chips, said the sources, adding that it may not move to a sub-50nm node for volume production until the second half of 2010.
ProMOS, a new foundry partner for Elpida, is reportedly scheduled to start mass production based on Elpida's 63nm process in the latter half of 2010. Monthly output for Elpida's DDR3 chips will be scaled up to 35,000 wafer starts a month.