May 2023

NXP Semiconductors announced a collaboration with TSMC to offer automotive embedded MRAM, in TSMC's 16 nm FinFET technology. NXP says that as automakers transition to software-defined vehicles, they need to support multiple generations of software upgrades on a single hardware platform. Bringing together NXP’s high-performance S32 automotive processors with fast and highly reliable next-generation MRAM in 16 nm FinFET technology provides the ideal hardware platform for this transition.

The new MRAM memory will be able to udpate 20MB of code in ~3 seconds compared to flash memories that take about 1 minute, which will minimize the downtime associated with software updates. MRAM also provides a highly reliable technology for automotive mission profiles by offering up to one million update cycles, a level of endurance 10x greater than flash and other emerging memory technologies.

Researchers from the School of Engineering at Stanford University discovered that a metallic compound called manganese palladium three MnPd3 is a promising material to build SOT-MRAM memory devices. 

The researchers say that the new material enables a breakthrough in SOT-MRAM device performance, as it is the first material that generates spin in the z-direction, rather than the y-direction as in most materials, which is a property needed in high-performance SOT-MRAM. In fact MnPd3 is able to generate spins in any orientation because its internal structure lacks the kind of crystal symmetry that would force all of the electrons into a particular orientation.

Everspin Technologies reported its financial results for Q1 2023, with revenues of 14.8 million, at the high end of its guidance and an increase of 3% from 2022. The company's earnings remain positive (now for two years in an row), and cash flow during the quarter was $1.2 million.

The company says that its product backlog for the rest of 2023 and 2024 remains high, and the company is optimistic regarding its sales in the near future.