Everspin Technologies announced that it completed the development activity and entered the pilot production phase of its 28 nm 1-Gigabit (Gb) STT-MRAM chips. Everspin targets the enterprise infrastructure and data center markets which can utilize its MRAM technology to increase reliability and performance.

Everspin 1-Gb chip family (EMD4E001G) includes both 8-bit and 16-bit DDR4 compatible (ST-DDR4) interface versions of the device and are available in a JEDEC-compliant BGA package.

Samsung announced that it has started to mass produce its first embedded MRAM, made using the company's 28nm FD-SOI process. Samsung says that its eMRAM memory module offers higher performance and endurance when compared to eFlash, and can be integrated into existing chips.

Samsung details that its eMRAM is 1,000 times faster than its eFlash memory, and it does not require an erase cycle before writing data (unlike Flash memory). The voltage used is also lower - and in total eMRAM consumes 1/400 the energy compared to eFlash for the writing process. Samsung's MRAM capacity, though, is lower than its 3D Xpoint, DRAM and NAND flash.

Everspin Technologies announced that it started to ship pre-production customer samples of its 28 nm 1Gb STT-MRAM chips in December 2018. Everspin already announced that it started to sample these new 1Gb STT-MRAM chips in November 2018.

In November 2017 Everspin announced it will delay its 1Gb STT-MRAM chips as its focus has shifted to its 256 Mb STT-MRAM chips. It is great, tough, to see Everspin progressing with its larger MRAM chip and we hope that mass production will begin, as planned, in the middle of 2019.

pMTJ STT-MRAM developer Avalanche Technology announced its 2nd-generation serial non-volatile discrete MRAM memory family. The SPnvSRAM family offers 1 Mb to 32 Mb densities at extended-temperature industrial-grade specifications. Avalanche says that these devices, available in low pin count, small package options, are ideal for a broad range of industrial, automotive and consumer applications.

Avalanche's 2-Gen SPnvSRAM is offered in 108-MHz Quad Serial Peripheral Interface (QSPI) performance as a byte addressable memory thus eliminating the need for software device drivers.

Everspin announced that it has entered into a multi-year partnership with Malaysia-based SilTerra and to establish a Toggle MRAM production center in Malaysia. Bosch Sensortec, a licensee of Everspin's TMR sensor IP is also a part of this agreement.

SilTerra and Everspin's new Malaysian production center will start initial production in 2020. Everspin says that it is seeing growing demand for its Toggle MRAM products in the industrial, computing, medical, and transportation markets. Everspin will continue to produce Toggle MRAM and TMR sensor products at its own manufacturing line in Chandler, AZ, USA.

pMTJ STT-MRAM developer Avalanche Technology announced that it has entered into a joint development and production agreement with Taiwan's United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), a global semiconductor foundry.

UMC will provide embedded non-volatile STT-MRAM blocks based on UMC's 28nm CMOS manufacturing process, which will enable customers to integrate low latency, very high performance and low power embedded MRAM memory blocks into MCUs and SoCs, targeting the Internet of Things, wearable, consumer, industrial and automotive electronics markets.

Everspin announced that the company recorded revenue for its first 40nm 256Mb STT-MRAM (pMTJ) products in Q4 2017, and is now ramping up volume production. The 256Mb STT-MRAM employs an innovative ST-DDR3 interface, unlocking performance previously unattainable in legacy MRAM components.

These new 40nm 256Mb chips are produced by Global Foundries, Everspin's production partner, which says it is on track to its risk production release of 22FDX eMRAM in 2018.

Crocus Nano Electronics (CNE) announced successful test results for its 90 nm pMTJ STT-MRAM technology. The company says it has developed unique materials that are able to deliver high data retention, tolerance to external magnetic fields and low switching currents. The company expects to produce its first engineering samples in later in 2018.

CNE also reports that it complete the design of its STT-MRAM test chip for further technology improvement in cooperation with eVaderis. Together with eVaderis, CNE created a "universal memory chip" able to serve as a platform for technology development through a wide range of MTJ sizes, currents and voltages ranges.

Everspin reports its financial results for Q3 2017. Revenues reached a record $9 million (up from $7.2 million in Q3 2016 and up only slightly from last quarter), while the net loss grew to $5.4 million (up from $1.4 million in Q3 2016).

At the end of the quarter, Everspin had $17.8 million in cash and equivalents (down from $21.2 million at the end of Q2 2017). Everspin expects revenue in Q4 2017 to be in the range of $9.9 million to $10.3 million.

Digitimes reports that Samsung Foundry will soon start mass producing MRAM chips using Samsung's 28nm fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) process technology.

Digitimes says that Samsung has collaborated with NXP on this project. Samsung has completed the tape-out of its embededd MRAM which will be first applied to NXP's new low-power i.MX-series chipset targeted at automotive, multimedia and display panel applications.