German memory chip giant Qimonda AG late last week announced a five-year pact to develop several types of non-volatile memory technologies with Macronix International, known for the memory chips it supplies to Nintendo’s popular Wii game consoles.
Non-volatile memory, such as flash memory chips, retains data after power has been shut off. Volatile memory, such as DRAM (Dynamic RAM), loses data when its power source is turned off.
Qimonda will bring its expertise in chip engineering and manufacturing to the partnership, while Macronix will add its flash memory know-how, according to the statement.
Projects related to the pact will take place at Qimonda’s facilities in Dresden, Germany. Macronix is a Taiwanese company.
Costs will be split between the two companies, but Qimonda did not offer an estimate for the possible size of the investment.
