Intel and Micron Joint Venture: IM Flash Technologies

Execution is the achievement of shared goals - IM Flash Technologies, Company Values

IM Flash Technologies was formed in January 2006 to create a manufacturing powerhouse for multi-level cell (MLC) NAND Flash memory. The joint venture of Intel, the world's largest computer chip maker, and Micron Technology, Inc., one of the world's leading makers of memory chips and image sensors, promises to be the supernova of the $16 billion NAND Flash memory market. That industry is expected to grow to $30 billion by 2010 and IM Flash Technologies is poised to deliver.

What Makes IM Flash Technologies Unique?

IM Flash Technologies is the first company in the industry to merge the expertise of two industry giants, Intel and Micron. IM Flash Technologies is run by two CEOs, Dave Baglee from Intel and Rod Morgan from Micron. IM Flash Technologies is the first company to use 50nm node processing and already has plans for more processing innovation. Brian Shirley, Micron vice president of memory said, "Micron will continue its commitment to NAND with a rapid transition to the 50nm process and through continued work on advanced nodes for the introduction of even higher density products."

Laurie Bott, Corporate Community Affairs Manager for IM Flash Technologies in Lehi, Utah, said that the established state-of-the-art processes of Intel and Micron is what gives IM Flash Technologies a leading edge over other MLC NAND Flash memory chipmakers. The company began shipping chips to Intel and Micron just a short eight months after construction began on the facility - a time frame that set all records in the chip manufacturing industry.

IM Flash Technologies began wafer production in January of 2006. According to Bott, $500 million of inventory from IM Flash Technologies has been committed to Apple, Inc. The two parent company partners, Intel and Micron, invested approximately $4 - $6 billion on the Lehi project. Both Intel and Micron sampled 4 gigabit (Gb) devices in 2006, and mass production for a range of densities on the industry's first 50nm node has begun at IM Flash Technologies.

How Will MLC NAND Flash Memory Rock Your World?