Spansion in the fourth quarter reported flash-memory revenue of $601 million, compared to Intel’s total of $600 million, according to iSuppli. STMicroelectronics Inc. was third with $335 million in NOR sales in the period, according to iSuppli.

Intel had held the number-one position in NOR since the third quarter of 2004, when it took the lead from Spansion, formerly a joint venture between Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Fujitsu Ltd.

Spansion in the fourth quarter increased its sales by about 15 percent from $523 million in the third quarter. Intel’s NOR flash sales in the fourth quarter rose in the more moderate 5 percent range, from $572 million in the third quarter.

Number-three NOR supplier STMicroelectronics also achieved strong fourth-quarter NOR revenues of $335 million, up 15 percent from $291 million in the third quarter.

Although revenues are up and unit shipments continue to break records, profitability remains elusive for the top two suppliers; Intel’s flash-memory division and Spansion reported losses of $12 million and $48 million respectively in the fourth quarter.

“Acknowledging Intel’s NOR capacity constraints in the fourth quarter, iSuppli believes both Spansion and STMicroelectronics captured market share from Intel during that period,” said Mark DeVoss, senior analyst, flash memory for iSuppli, in a statement.

Overall, the NOR flash memory business remains challenging as it has yet to return to the peak levels of early 2004.

By: DocMemory
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