News & McLean vFinal DR 2/3/10 16:35 Page 8
Company News
Infineon files patent suit
INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES has semiconductors and products that development,” said Prof. Dr. Hermann
announced that the company and its infringe four of Infineon’s patents Eul, Member of the Management
subsidiary Infineon Technologies North covering key inventions in Board, Sales, Marketing, Technology
America Corp. have filed a complaint semiconductor processing and device and R&D at Infineon Technologies.
with the U.S. International Trade manufacturing. Infineon’s complaint with the ITC
Commission (ITC) against Elpida “Infineon has always been at the seeks an exclusion order that is
Memory. The complaint asserts that forefront of advanced semiconductor designed to operate by ensuring the
Elpida has engaged in unfair trade processing technologies. We will infringing devices are barred from entry
practices by making for importation protect our intellectual property rights, into the US. This includes DRAM
into the United States, and selling which arise from our commitment to the semiconductors and products that are
after importation, certain DRAM highest level cutting edge research and imported by or on behalf of Elpida.
Sales rebound for NOR flash memory
THE ECONOMIC recovery has sequential growth in the fourth quarter fourth quarter, with $128 million in NOR
translated into a sales rebound for the of 2009. revenue, up 4.1 percent from $123
long suffering NOR-type flash memory Numonyx, which assumed the million in the third quarter. The
market, similar to the momentum the mantle as the No.-1 provider of NOR company was the top beneficiary of the
overall memory market is enjoying, flash memory in the third quarter of renewed spending on consumer
according to iSuppli Corp. Overall NOR 2009, cemented its position in the electronics products and PCs.
revenue in the fourth quarter of 2009 fourth quarter. The company’s NOR Macronix has doubled its market
amounted to $1.23 billion, up 0.7 flash revenue grew to $434 million, up share since 2008 to 10.4 percent of the
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percent from $1.22 billion in the third 7.2 percent from $405 million in the total NOR flash market and continues
quarter last year. third quarter of 2009. More importantly, to find success with its serial NOR
www
“This marks the third consecutive this resulted in a commanding 35.4 products in the embedded space. The
.eur quarter of sequential growth for the percent share of the total NOR flash company has a number of serial
oasiasemiconductor
market, after revenue dipped to less market, up from 33.3 percent in the products in the pipeline that should
than $1 billion during the dismal first third quarter. continue to fuel its profits in the
three months of 2009,” said Michael “As Spansion continues to embedded space. Macronix is seeking
Yang, senior analyst for memory and restructure itself after filing for to acquire additional manufacturing
storage at iSuppli. “NOR flash revenue bankruptcy, and moves away from capabilities to ensure that production
in the fourth quarter was boosted by investing heavily in the wireless can keep up with its success, although
.com
demand from multiple consumer segment, Numonyx has been able to nothing has been finalized yet.
products, including LCD-TVs, cell step in and garner design wins from The industry has been poised to
phones and computers. Demand was so disaffected former Spansion reinvent itself, evident by the recent
square4
Issue I 2010
strong that NOR was in a state of customers,” Yang said. “Obviously, this acquisitions of SST and Numonyx. This
shortage for most densities.” success is part of the reason companies spells opportunity for those companies
However, the fourth-quarter growth looked to Numonyx as a possible with the right products and strategies
was not spread evenly among the NOR acquisition target. With a pending to further distance themselves from the
suppliers, and there were distinct acquisition ahead, this should solve the pack. Learn more about the NOR
winners and losers. Specifically, potential problems Numonyx might market and the winners and losers in
Numonyx and Macronix were the big have had with production capacity the fourth quarter of 2009 with iSuppli’s
winners, being the only companies issues.” new report, entitled: Momentum
among the Top-5 suppliers to achieve Macronix also had an excellent Building for Numonyx and Macronix.
iSuppli Table: Top-5 NOR Flash Memory Suppliers in Q4 2009 (Ranking by Revenue in Millions of U.S. Dollars)
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