Samsung Electronics and Numonyx said they would jointly develop technology related to Phase Change Memory (PCM) products, a promising next-generation memory technology.
In a joint statement on June 24, South Korea-based Samsung, the world's top maker of memory chips, and Numonyx, formed last year with assets from Intel and STMicroelectronics, said they would team up to develop common specifications for PCM, a technology that is expected to be used in advanced handsets, mobile and computing devices.
PCM can perform at very fast read and write speeds but consumes less power than conventional NOR and NAND flash memory, Samsung and Numonyx said. "We anticipate that PCM will eventually be a major addition to our family of memory products, one that will ultimately increase our leadership in the industry," said Kim Sei-jin, vice president of mobile memory technology planning and enabling at Samsung.
"The collaboration between two memory industry leaders is helping to provide the kind of direction and clarity that is often needed when new technologies are introduced," said Brian Harrison, president and CEO of Numonyx.
"The common specifications will enable chipset vendors and others in the ecosystem to standardise and more easily support the delivery of a new generation of memory technology." Samsung and Numonyx said common specifications between the two companies would be completed this year, with both companies expecting to have compliant devices available next year.
Last year, Numonyx announced a big NAND memory development deal with South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor, the world's No 2 maker of memory chips.