Thursday, March 6, 2003
Elpida Memory and Powerchip Semiconductor have signed sales and purchasing contracts agreements for their DRAM strategic alliance.
The two companies also plan to sign a technology transfer agreement for 0.10-micron and 0.09-micron design and process technology in Japan.
Beginning this month, Elpida will buy DRAM products from PSC that are produced using the Mitsubishi-developed 0.15/0.13-micron process, and later, PSC will produce DRAM products using Elpida's own 0.10/0.09-micron technology process.
PSC is also entitled to develop, produce and sell its own products manufactured with Elpida's newest process technologies. As reported yesterday, PSC will provide up to 50% of its available 12-inch DRAM foundry capacity to Elpida.
"This alliance minimizes our investment risk while expanding our total production capacity," said Yukio Sakamoto, president of Elpida Memory, in a statement. "As a result, Elpida moves one step closer to achieving our goal of becoming the number 3 DRAM supplier in the world by 2004."
With Taiwan's chipmakers on its side, Elpida should be able to achieve the target, some analysts said. "The technology transfer agreement will enable PSC to maintain a stable source of advanced DRAM technology from Elpida, Japan's sole DRAM maker, which greatly enhances PSC's 12-inch fab production competitiveness," said Frank Huang, president of Powerchip Semiconductor, in a statement.
The total capacity of PSC's 12-inch fab is currently 12,000 wafers per month, utilizing a 0.15-micron process for mass production. PSC expects to implement 0.13-micron process technology during the second half of 2003.
Both parties will begin a technical transfer training program in October 2003 in which PSC will send engineers to Japan for training, and Elpida will have its supporting team stationed at PSC.
PSC plans to start the initial production of 0.10-micron processing at the beginning of 2004, with mass production scheduled for mid-2004. The 0.09-micron technology process is scheduled to commence in early 2005.
By: DocMemory
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