Investment

Grandis awarded $8.6 million from DARPA for a 2nd phase STT-RAM research project

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Grandis with a $8.6 million 2nd phase project for STT-RAM chip development. The first phase ($6.0) was received in October 2008.

Phase 2 will focus on test of verification of STT-RAM integrated memory arrays.

06/20/2010

Crocus raised €8 million, changes CEO

Crocus announced an 8 million euro investment, and a change of CEO. The new CEO is Dr. Bertrand F. Cambou. His main task is to bring their MRAM products to the market. Crocus aims to complete the production transfer of its 130nm MRAM technology to manufacturing partner Tower Semiconductor soon.

Crocus has originally planned to start production towards the end of 2009.

05/04/2010

France launches a 4.2M euro spintronics project

France has launched a large Spintronics project, with a 4.2M euro investment. It's called SPIN, and involved 11 partners. One of the project goals is magnetic FPGAs. Here's how they describe it:

The objective will be to design a magnetic FPGA which will incorporate finely distributed Magnetic Tunnel Junctions (MTJs) for non volatile storage and configuration purposes above of a CMOS core circuit. In complement of existing high density FPGAs, it will provide better versatility with intrinsic reconfigurability, instant on/off and energy saving. Such FPGAs can be used as general purpose standalone products. In the SPIN project, the FPGA will be targeted to provide intelligent processing of the magnetometers and sensors developed in objectives 2 and 3.

More information can be found here.

12/22/2009

Hynix and Samsung to co-develop STT-RAM in a $40 million project

The Korean Government has decided to fund STT-RAM research for Hynix and Samsung in a $40 million project. The government will pay around half of the sum for the project, which is intended to run till 2014. The project calls for the government to work with Samsung and Hynix together for research and development on STT-MRAM chips. Korea aims to control around 45% of the 30-nano type memory chip market by 2015.

The companies have already opened a new laboratory at Hangyang University's fusion technology center. It is already equipped with a fully operational 300mm magnetic thin film deposition system and other chip-making facilities.

Via YonHap news

11/26/2009

Spingate: a new startup to develop Perpendicular-MRAM

Spingate is a new US-based fabless company focusing on development, licensing and manufacturing of solid state memory, specifically, perpendicular MRAM.

We have talked to Dr. Alex Shukh, Spingate's co-founder, CTO and CEO. Alex explains that they have decided to focus on perpendicular MRAM because according to their estimates it does not suffer from several fundamental issues of its longitudinal (in-plane) analogue.

11/05/2009

Micromem Raises $375,000 in a Private Placement

Micromem announced that they have raised 375K$ in a private placement.

They will use the proceeds from the offering for general working capital purposes.

05/19/2009

NVE Corporation Reports Third Quarter Results, Working on Anti-Tamper MRAM

NVE Corporation announced today financial results for the quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2008. Total revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 increased 23% to $5.88 million from $4.77 million in the prior-year quarter. The revenue increase was due to an 8% increase in product sales and a 150% increase in contract research and development revenue. Net income for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 increased 45% to $2.47 million.