Geneva, May 6th, 2009
hynix Semiconductor Inc, Numonyx B.V. and Phison Electronics Corp. today announced that they have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly develop controllers for the next generation of managed-NAND solutions based on the newly released JEDEC eMMC™ 4.4 industry specification.
The collaboration is expected to speed the delivery of the industry’s most advanced eMMC specification available, helping to manage and simplify high-capacity storage requirements and improve the overall system-level performance of wireless and embedded applications.
Under this agreement, Phison, hynix and Numonyx will leverage their respective competencies to develop controllers used in combination with a variety of NAND flash products. Phison will exclusively supply the jointly developed controllers to hynix and Numonyx, which will enhance their respective NAND flash memory solutions portfolio.
“Through this collaboration, 3 parties expect to enhance its technology leadership of the NAND flash solutions.” said Min-goo Choi, hynix senior vice president of Corporate Strategy Office. “Also, this will help hynix to expand its market share by diversifying its NAND flash products to premium application products such as microSD, eMMC, and SSD.”
“Standard interfaces like eMMC are becoming a common requirement for NAND Flash memory systems used in next 3G+ mobile platforms.” said Marco Dallabora, Numonyx vice president and general manager of the Wireless Business Group. “This agreement will allow Numonyx to bring its system-level expertise to provide compelling system solutions for our customers and partners.”
“As a leading provider of NAND Flash controllers, Phison is very pleased to work with Numonyx and hynix on an exciting product like eMMC 4.4,” said K.S. Pua, Chairman & CEO, Phison Electronics Corporation. “Through the collaboration, we hope to contribute through our NAND management expertise and bring the best solution to the wireless market.”
eMMC is an embedded non-volatile memory system, comprising both flash memory and a flash memory controller. The new MMC V4.4 standard features numerous enhancements including a doubling of the memory interface performance, flexible partition management and improved security options.
All three companies have a successful history of collaboration with each other. In June 2008, hynix and Phison announced the joint development of NAND application technology and supply of NAND flash; Numonyx and hynix entered into a joint development agreement in August 2008 to develop current and future NAND technologies and products; and Numonyx and Phison collaborated on the development of standard and enhanced eMMC4.3 solutions which are now available in Numonyx products and solutions.
Products combining the jointly developed controllers by Phison and NAND flash memory from Numonyx and hynix are expected to be available before the end of the year.
About hynix Semiconductor Inc.
hynix Semiconductor Inc. (HSI) of Icheon, Korea, is the world’s top tier memory semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips (“DRAMs”) , Flash memory chips (“NAND Flash”) and CMOS Image Sensor (“CIS”) for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company’s shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxemburg Stock Exchange. Further information about hynix is available at www.hynix.com.
About Numonyx B.V.
Numonyx designs and manufactures a full complement of integrated NV-RAM, NOR, NAND and phase change non-volatile memory technologies and products to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of customers in the wireless, data and embedded markets. Numonyx combines the technology and manufacturing expertise of the flash memory divisions of Intel Corporation and STMicroelectronics, and is dedicated to providing high density, low power memory technologies and packaging solutions to a global base of customers. Additional information about Numonyx is available at www.numonyx.com.
About Phison Electronics Corp.
Phison Electronics Corporation excels in USB flash controller technology and related NAND flash applications. Phison is a total solution provider with expertise in IC design, product development and manufacturing. Additional information about Phison is available at www.phison.com.
Media Contact
hynix Semiconductor Inc.
Seong-Ae Park
Phone 82-2-3459-5325
Mobile 82-10-3339-4937
E-Mail: seongae.park@hynix.com
Numonyx B.V.
Mark Miller
Phone 1-916-377-8459
Mobile 1-916-380-2090
E-Mail: mark.miller@numonyx.com
Phison Electronics Corp.
Antonio Yu
Phone 886-37-586-896 Ext. 1006
Mobile 886-966-759-807
E-Mail: antonioyu@phison.com
