Elpida Memory and Spansion on July 22 announced that they have begun jointly developing NAND process technology and products. The existing relationship will expand to include a foundry services agreement for the flash memory.
Elpida has secured a non-exclusive license to Spansion NAND IP based on MirrorBit charge-trapping technology. Elpida will produce NAND products at its 12-inch Hiroshima wafer fab.
Elpida said it gets access to Spansion's NAND IP portfolio while giving the flash maker a cost-effective manufacturing solution with reduced research and development expenditures. Each company will separately market products to their customers.
As part of the expanded alliance, Elpida and Spansion also intend to identify additional areas of cooperation, such as NOR flash memory products and manufacturing.
"The alliance with Spansion and the licensing of Spansion NAND IP enable Elpida to develop advanced NAND products which, when combined with our leading DRAM products, allows us to better service markets including cellular handsets and digital consumer," said Yukio Sakamoto, president and CEO of Elpida. "We're excited about joint NAND development and the potential for further collaboration in NOR Flash memory."