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SanDisk announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Toshiba to sell about 30% of its stake in the companies two flash memory joint ventures. Once the deal is complete, Toshiba will be the sole owner of 30% of the total production capacity, with the remaining 70% split equally between the two companies. While financial details have not been announced, SanDisk expects to receive cash and cut equipment lease obligations by about $1 billion.
SanDisk® (NASDAQ:SNDK) announced today that it has entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Toshiba Corporation to sell approximately 30 percent of the current manufacturing capacity of the parties’ joint ventures to Toshiba. The move will significantly reduce SanDisk’s capital spending, further strengthen its balance sheet and reduce NAND flash memory production commitments. SanDisk expects to receive cash and reduce equipment lease obligations by approximately $1 billion through this transaction.
SanDisk and Toshiba will continue to be equal partners for the approximately 70 percent capacity of the Fabs that remain in the joint ventures. SanDisk will have the option to purchase a part of the transferred capacity from Toshiba on a foundry basis and will continue to invest up to 50% in future Fab 4 expansions and technology transitions in Fabs 3 and 4. The parties will continue their existing joint technology development in advanced NAND and 3D read/write memory. SanDisk expects the transaction to be completed in the first quarter of 2009.
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Intel has begun to ship its new enterprise-class solid-state drives (SSDs). The Intel X-25E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drive features 50nm single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory and is capable of 250MB/s read and 170MB/s write speeds. The 32GB capacity drive is in production and is priced at $695. A 64GB version is expected to go into production in the first quarter of 2009.
Intel Corporation has begun shipping its highest-performing solid-state drive (SSD), the Intel® X-25E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drive, aimed at server, workstation and storage systems. Unlike mechanical drives, the SSDs contain no moving parts and instead feature 50nm single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory technology. Systems equipped with these drives will not suffer from the performance bottlenecks associated with conventional drives. By reducing the total infrastructure, cooling and energy costs, SSDs can lower total cost of ownership for enterprise applications by more than five times.
“Hard disk drive performance has not kept pace with Moore’s Law,” said Kirk Skaugen, general manager, Intel Server Platforms group. “Intel’s high-performance SSDs unleash the full performance of the latest Intel Xeon processor-based systems while increasing reliability and lowering the total cost of ownership for a broad range of server and storage workloads.”
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Micron Technology announced this week that it will be restructuring its memory operations. Due to declining customer demand and product oversupply, the company will be discontinuing the production of NAND flash memory at its Boise facility. As a result, Micron plans to reduce its global workforce by approximately 15 percent over the next two years.
In response to a challenging global environment for technology products, Micron Technology, Inc., today announced a restructuring of its memory operations.
The combination of declining customer demand and product oversupply in the marketplace has driven selling prices for NAND flash memory significantly below manufacturing costs, particularly for 200 millimeter (mm) manufacturing lines. As a result, IM Flash Technologies (IMFT), a joint venture between Micron and Intel Corporation, will discontinue the supply of NAND flash memory from Micron’s Boise facility. The NAND operation shutdown will reduce IMFT’s NAND flash production by approximately 35,000 wafers (200mm) per month.
As part of the restructuring, Micron plans to reduce its global workforce by approximately 15 percent during the next two years. The majority of the workforce reductions, which will begin with a voluntary program, will occur in Boise as a result of the NAND operation shutdown. Micron is committed to assisting employees affected by the workforce reductions and is providing severance and outplacement services.
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Patriot Memory recently announced its Lite Series SSD storage solutions. These new solid-state drives are available in 32GB and 64GB capacties and are designed specifically for the ASUS Eee PC.
Patriot Memory, a global provider of premium quality memory module and flash memory solutions, today announced the Lite Series SSD storage solutions. Available in both 32GB and 64GB capacities, these upgrade solutions are designed specifically for the ASUS® Eee PC's™.
"Small form-factor mobile PC's are becoming extremely popular among consumers," says Meng Jay Choo, Flash Product Manager for Patriot Memory. "Patriot's new Lite Series SSD solutions offer consumers the perfect storage upgrade to store their important music, video and data files without worrying about running out of space on their ASUS® Eee PC™."
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Silicon Power recenly announced the release of its new 32GB SDHC card. Developed for high-end digital cameras, this Class 6 rated card features a mechanical write-protection switch and is capable of reading and writing at 6MB/s.
Silicon Power, the leading brand in flash memory manufactories, today announces the launch of its 32 GB SDHC Class 6 card to its lineup of high performance flash memory cards. SDHC is the new generation of SD cards (Version 2.0) that supports FAT32 and is perfect for those wanting High Definition content. Silicon Power 32GB SDHC with Class 6 speed specification is the perfect companion for video recording devices and allows several hours of high quality video recording or thousands of pictures on a single card. Along with this massive storage capacity, users can find the performance outstanding with a rating of up to 6MB/sec, making it ideal for professional users to conveniently store hours of high quality video without carrying many flash cards.
