Hynix Semiconductor and Innovative Silicon has announced that Hynix has licensed IS’ Z-RAM technology. The technology was initially designed to be used in embedded memory for integrated circuits, such as mobile chipsets, processors and other consumer applications with a total focus on the cost. The technology was designed as the cheapest possible way to create embedded memory in these kind of circuits. The first to license this technology was AMD back in 2005, then for use in its coming microprocessors, and how Hynix has followed, but will use it to create denser DRAM products instead.
Both companies will commit substantial engineering resources to the program, which will lead to denser DRAM than possible today. Hynix paid more than $10 million USD, but the deal also include royalties on products based on the Z-RAM technology (DRAM is a $33 billion market). When we will see consumer products emerging as a result of the license agreement has not been foretold.
Z-RAM technology namely makes it possible to use a single transistor bitcell rather than combining transistors and capacitors and, according to IS, this is the first fundamental bitcell change since DRAM was invented back in the early 1970s. Certainly an interesting investment, but we can’t imagine that the competition will stand idly by in the meantime.
