Micron Technology, Inc. (NYSE:MU) today announced that Semiconductor Insights (SI) has recognized its 32-gigabit (Gb), 34-nanometer (nm) NAND flash and 1Gb, 50nm DRAM innovations for SI's Eighth Annual Insight Awards program.
The 32Gb, 34nm NAND chip – which was jointly developed by Intel and Micron and manufactured by the companies' NAND flash joint venture, IM Flash Technologies – has been selected as a finalist in two categories including Most Innovative Process Technology and Most Innovative Non-Volatile Memory. According to SI, the 32Gb, 34nm chip is the highest density monolithic multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash chip the industry has seen to date. With its high-density and tiny size, the chip enables customers to easily increase their NAND storage capacity for a number of consumer and computing products.
The 1Gb, 50nm DDR2 chip – which was jointly developed through Micron's DRAM joint development relationship with Nanya Technology Corporation – has been selected as a finalist in the category of Most Innovative DRAM. The 1Gb, 50nm DDR2 chip measures just 41mm², providing customers with the smallest DRAM die size currently available on the market. After analyzing the product, SI noted that the product features the most advanced DRAM process technology they have analyzed to date.
“We are honored to be recognized by Semiconductor Insights as a finalist for their Insight Awards program,” said Brian Shirley, vice president of Micron's Memory Group. “Micron continues to push the envelope with leading-edge NAND and DRAM designs and in working with our R&D partners we will continue to innovate, providing customers with the most advanced memory solutions available on the market.”
The Insight Awards honor companies who have shaped the semiconductor industry over the past year, through technical achievements and innovations. The Insight Awards program contains four distinct categories and is judged by a panel of leading industry experts, including Edward Keyes, chief technology officer, TechInsights Services; David Carey, president, Portelligent; Patrick Mannion, editorial director, TechOnline, and senior analysts from Semiconductor Insights. The judges will choose winners in each of the nomination-based categories.
“This year's Insight Award finalists achieved key innovation milestones for our industry, demonstrating the importance of continued pressure on the technology envelope so as to better advance our industry while setting new benchmarks for others to strive for,” said Emil Alexov, vice president and general manager Semiconductor Insights.
The Insight Awards recognizes companies for achieving great technical strides through innovative design and technical advancements in the semiconductor industry, shaping the world we live in. These companies, and their innovations, will be recognized at the EE Times ACE Awards and Insight Award Presentation on March 31, 2009, as part of TechInsight's Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley, the largest electronic systems design event in North America.