Elpida and Qimonda are discussing joint development of Phase-change RAM (PRAM) and also magneto-resistive RAM (MRAM) together with other potential technologies such as Si through-hole electrode technology. The two DRAM-making companies are talking about a merger.

Micromem Technologies is pleased to announce that it is fully engaged and conducting business development work in two foundries in the United States. The company expects to enter into a third foundry contract by Q3 2008. Joseph Fuda, the company’s CEO, stated, “With our potential clients beginning to validate our technology and moving towards specific productization  plans for their product lines, it is imperative that we continue to have full access to foundry operations. This will ensure the process of moving from constant innovation to product revenue is accelerated.”

In two papers published in the April 11 issue of Science, IBM Fellow Stuart Parkin and colleagues at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose describe both the fundamentals of a technology dubbed "racetrack" memory as well as a milestone in that technology. This milestone could lead to electronic devices capable of storing far more data in the same amount of space than is possible today, with lightning-fast boot times, far lower cost and unprecedented stability and durability.

Within the next ten years, racetrack memory, so named because the data "races" around the wire "track," could lead to solid state electronic devices - with no moving parts, and therefore more durable - capable of holding far more data in the same amount of space than is possible today. For example, this technology could enable a handheld device such as an mp3 player to store around 500,000 songs or around 3,500 movies - 100 times more than is possible today - with far lower cost and power consumption. The devices would not only store vastly more information in the same space, but also require much less power and generate much less heat, and be practically unbreakable; the result: massive amounts of personal storage that could run on a single battery for weeks at a time and last for decades.

Hynix and Grandis have also entered into a collaborative agreement to jointly integrate Grandis' STT-RAM technology into Hynix' future memory products. Technical teams from both companies will work together to implement Grandis' STT-RAM technology, including magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) materials and structures.