Forbes: Intel micron technology how to go further

Micron technology company has formally developed in collaboration with Intel memory, the two companies jointly entered the white hot market, this partnership has been brewing for several months.

The two companies jointly developed for Apple Com puter Inc NAND flash memory, which is a digital camera and portable music players have to use the storage medium, the market is expected to be three years after the size of the flash market will reach $500 million.

Due to the huge amount of storage mobile data devices, NAND flash memory market is increasingly becoming one of the hottest areas of the semiconductor market. Due to the flash memory has a durable, scalable, storage capacity continues to expand, in addition to the price is falling, these factors make NAND began to supply.

The Apple Corp has published Monday that the company has with the modern (Hynix), Intel (Intel), micron (Micron), Samsung Electronics (Samsung Electronics) and Toshiba (Toshiba) reached a long-term supply agreement, to ensure that by 2010 the NAND flash supply, and plans in the next three months for flash memory components a payment of $1 billion 250 million. Intel and apple from micron will receive $250 million dollars of investment.

The world's largest microprocessor maker Intel and the world's fifth largest producer of micron memory overwhelmed together caused no small vibration in the memory market, this cooperation will again consolidate long-term partnership of two semiconductor giants.

The day before, Meguiar's chief executive Steve April Layton accepted the Forbes interview, talked about and chip giant Intel cooperation.

Q: in the past, the cooperation with Intel to promote this cooperation to promote?

Answer: in 1998, Intel invested $500 million; three years ago, Intel once again invested $500 million micron in cooperation with Intel DRAM has been for a long time, they are also our customers, so our relationship is very deep, naturally contributed to this cooperation.

Q: why is this form of cooperation different from Intel in 2003 with the production of DDR2? (in 2003, Intel invested $450 million to buy the stock to ensure the micron, development and supply of new memory DDR2. Answer: 2003) only Intel and Meguiar's joint venture, DDR2 involved in the development of the industry. For both sides of this cooperation are considered strategic significance, is the key to our common move forward.

Q: Apple Corp will get much benefit?

Answer: This is a trade secret I can not disclose, but will be very impressive. If you ask whether we will attract more consumers, the answer is yes, we will have a lot of new consumers, over time, our production capacity will be fully upgraded.

Q: could you tell us more about what NAND will be facing in the product market, you just say that NAND will be used in general for consumer electronics, mobile storage devices and handheld communications equipment. A: when we think about where the market is today, the digital camera market is quite mature, which is the most primitive NAND market, because digital cameras need to store large amounts of data. NAND also need to store huge amounts of data MP3 and iPod class audio playback equipment is the second largest market. Next is the mobile phone market, and can be used in the command system or NAND and DRAM together.

Q: over the past few years has been trying to get rid of a single micron DRAM products, but the cooperation in the development of NAND is actually not a single return route? A: this cooperation has significantly expanded the product diversification. For the diversification of products we have worked for three years, CMOS image sensor sales is very good, now is the largest producer of micron, each three camera mobile phone has a CMOS image sensor micron. When it comes from a single DRAM to diversify, generally refers to a single computer DRAM, we have diversified DRAM products also produces other products, NAND extends Meguiar's product diversification path.

Q: will NAND be just another product that will eventually show a similar supply and demand to the DRAM market? Answer: you are right, in fact we think DRAM is a product of old products is a kind of potential products, from PC to 5 years ago, the DRAM market has been thriving, with great flexibility, the boom is longer than any product. DRAM market competition is fierce, but if you are good at business will be a good business. Over the past 5 years, the growth rate of DRAM from about 10 years ago, 75%, down to about 80% to about 50%. If you take into account the application of the PC market, it will have more consumers, but the total sales or reduced. NAND and DRAM products just launched, the price is flexible, there will be more and more demand. As for the sales channels, 80% of the PC DRAM wholesale to PC producers, while the NAND will retail for 80%. There will be differences in market functioning.