08/03/2006  August 3, 2006 - Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. and Renesas Technology Corp. say they have entered full integration testing of 45nm system-on-chip (SoC) manufacturing technology. The process will be used by both companies in manufacturing SoCs for mobile products and networked consumer electronics products.

08/02/2006  August 2, 2006 - Calling it a case of "deceptive conduct" that resulted in an anticompetitive "hold-up of the computer memory industry," the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has overturned a previous court ruling, finding that Rambus Inc. unlawfully monopolized markets for four computer memory technologies that were incorporated into industry standards for SDRAM and DDR SDRAM.

07/31/2006  When leading analysts faced off to debate the prospects for industry growth at the annual "Bulls and Bears" session at SEMICON West, all agreed that 2006 was shaping up to be a very good year, but were widely split in their forecasts for 2007.

07/31/2006  July 31, 2006 - In the latest big move to consolidate power in the memory sector, flash memory giant SanDisk Corp., Milpitas, CA, has agreed to acquire Msystems Ltd., Kfar Saba, Israel, in an all-stock deal valued at up to $1.55 billion, including stock options and convertible debt.

07/28/2006  IM Flash Technologies, a company formed by, and exclusively manufacturing for, Intel Corporation and Micron Technology, is sampling NAND flash memory built on 50 nm process technology. The 4-GB device is sampling, and the companies plan to roll-out a range of densities on the 50-nm node in 2007. IM Flash operates high-density NAND technology from Micron with multi-level cell technology from Intel.

07/27/2006  July 27, 2006 - Toshiba Corp. has agreed to settle a dispute with an ex-engineer who was instrumental in the creation of flash memory, two years after he sued them for reimbursement for his work while at the company.

07/26/2006  July 26, 2006 - Mosaid Technologies Inc. said it has initiated new litigation in Texas against memory chipmakers Micron Technology Inc., Powerchip Semiconductor Corp., and ProMOS Technologies, alleging infringement of nine US patents concerning DRAM technologies. Meanwhile, Micron has filed for declaratory relief in a separate court hearing.

07/26/2006  July 26, 2006 - Intel Corp. and Micron Technology Inc., through their joint venture IM Flash, say they have started sampling 4Gbit NAND flash memory devices using 50nm process technologies, and plan to ramp to mass production across a range of memory densities within the next year.

07/25/2006  A roundup of midyear forecast updates for semiconductor sales, equipment sales, and capital expenditures indicates general agreement that 2006 will shape up to be a boon year overall, particularly in the first half of the year, and strongest on the equipment side. But growth this year will come at a cost, as the same analysts generally agree that 2007 looks to be downright gloomy.

07/25/2006  July 25, 2006 - Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. said it has qualified its 65nm low-power process technology, to expand its contract foundry offerings from its S1 300mm logic fab line in Giheung, Korea.

07/21/2006  July 21, 2006 - Spansion Inc. has expanded its partnership with Taiwanese foundry TSMC to phase Spansion's MirrorBit flash memory technology from 110nm process technologies to 90nm, with a production ramp planned for 2H07.

07/20/2006  HP Labs announced the development of a miniature, wireless data chip that embeds digital information into paper, pharmaceutical containers, and other physical objects. The self-contained, RoHS-compliant prototype chip is based on a standard CMOS, with a built-in antenna; according to HP, no special materials are used in fabrication.

07/20/2006  July 20, 2006 - Price cuts and rising inventory dented Intel Corp.'s 2Q06 performance, and the company has responded by cutting its capital spending and R&D targets for the rest of the year.

07/19/2006  July 19, 2006 - Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. said it has ramped to volume production of its 8Gbit NAND flash memory based on multilevel cell (MLC) architecture and 60nm process technologies, two years after announcing development of the technology.

07/19/2006  DFM start-up Takumi Technologies, building on its mask-data preparation (MDP) work for NEC and other customers, is now promoting its ability to automatically detect, classify, and repair yield-limiting design "hot spots" -- areas of a design layout which, due to process or geometric conditions, fall outside of process windows, resulting in potential catastrophic or parametric failure.

07/18/2006  In a revealing keynote address at SEMICON West last week, Micron Technology chairman and CEO Steve Appleton offered a behind-the-scenes look at his company's experience in forming business partnerships, and offered some hard-won insight into why partnerships fail and what can be done to ensure their success.

07/17/2006  July 17, 2006 - Chinese foundry Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. has established a Japanese subsidiary to establish a presence in the domestic market, aiming to drum up business for mature process technologies in a region known for doing things in-house.

07/17/2006  July 17, 2006 - The US federal government might be done with a group of DRAM chipmakers for their alleged price-fixing practices several years ago, but for Attorneys General in 34 states the fight is just getting started. A federal lawsuit has been filed in San Francisco, CA, against seven international DRAM chipmakers and their US subsidiaries, seeking damages against consumers in various states, as well as state and local governments.

07/14/2006  July 14, 2006 - Intel Corp. says it will lay off 1000 managers, about % of its workforce, following up on its promise to identify underperforming business areas and respark growth.

07/14/2006  July 14, 2006 - Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE) and Powerchip Semiconductor Corp. have agreed to form a joint venture in Taiwan to provide memory IC-related package and testing services. Power ASE Technology Inc. will offer backend capacity to support Powerchip's growth, while giving ASE expertise in memory testing to support its SIP and SOC offerings to customers, according to the companies.