Micron will pull Japan up to the level of Taiwan - production of DRAM on the most advanced technological process will start there too

According to Japanese sources, Micron intends to start production of RAM chips with 1β technological process in Japan by the end of this year.
This was announced two weeks ago in Taiwan during Computex 2022.
Traditionally, Micron's new processors get to Taiwan early, but this time the American memory manufacturer decided to pull Japan up to Taiwan's level without too much delay.Image source: MicronThe production of DRAM memory using the 1β process will increase the density of memory cells even slightly.
Right now, Micron's most advanced 10nm process is the 1α process.
Moving from 1z to 1α resulted in up to 40% increase in memory density and 15-20% improvement in energy savings.
The company did not disclose the exact details of how much better 1β would be than 1α.
It is important to note that the 1β memory process (which could conceivably be 12- or 11nm) would not require the latest EUV scanners.
Production will still rely on 193nm DUV scanners.
In that sense, upgrading the Japanese lines will be relatively inexpensive for Micron.
The upgrade work is taking place at the former Elpida Memory plant in Hiroshima, which Micron got after buying the Japanese manufacturer in 2013.Now analysts would like to hear more details from Micron about the next tech process, 1γ (gamma).
So far it is known that the production of memory using 1γ will start in 2024.
This will require the installation of new EUV scanners.
Earlier, the company promised that it would show the first 13.5 nm \"extreme\" wavelength scanners at its Taiwanese production facility later this year.
The Japanese also want these, but when they will be available is a mystery to Micron.

Micron announced the development of the world's first 232-layer 3D NAND flash memory - 128 GB in one chip

American company Micron announced the development of the industry's first 3D NAND flash memory chips, consisting of 232 layers.
Mass production of the novelty based on TLC cells will start at the end of 2022.
The first products based on the new memory will be available in 2023.
The increased write density promises lower power consumption, higher speeds, and lower costs, which will be converted into either Micron's profit or lower prices for SSDs.Image source: MicronIn order to achieve the record number of layers, Micron used a previously proven method - it placed one 3D NAND chip on top of another, electrically connecting them and placing them on a common substrate (substrate and controller).
In the process of splicing the crystals some of the layers were inevitably lost, so from the two 128-layer crystals came not 256-layer 3D NAND chip, but 232-layer, which is also good.
It should also be noted that Samsung presented a 256-layer 3D NAND back in 2020, but mass production of such chips has not started.
Therefore, the previous record-holder can be considered a 176-layer flash memory chips, the production of which both Micron and Samsung began in the second half of 2021.
Also recall the Chinese company YMTC, which is about to appear in the arsenal of 192-layer 3D NAND.Another advantage of new products Micron can be considered as moving the control electronics under the chip with an array of cells.
This is a CMOS under array (CuA) technology, which all 3D NAND manufacturers have to a greater or lesser extent today.
Micron does not disclose detailed specifications for 232-layer chips.
It is known that the capacity of chips is 1 Tbit (128 GB) and in general they have become faster, which promises the emergence of even more efficient SSDs.

Micron announced the development of the world's first 232-layer 3D NAND flash memory - 128 GB in one chip

American company Micron announced the development of the industry's first 3D NAND flash memory chips, consisting of 232 layers.
Mass production of the novelty based on TLC cells will start at the end of 2022.
The first products based on the new memory will be available in 2023.
The increased write density promises lower power consumption, higher speeds, and lower costs, which will be converted into either Micron's profit or lower prices for SSDs.Image source: MicronTo achieve the record number of layers, Micron used a previously proven method - it placed one 3D NAND chip on top of another, electrically connecting them and placing them on a common substrate (substrate and controller).
In the process of splicing the crystals some of the layers were inevitably lost, so from the two 128-layer crystals came not 256-layer 3D NAND chip, but 232-layer, which is also good.
It should also be noted that Samsung presented a 256-layer 3D NAND back in 2020, but mass production of such chips has not started.
Therefore, the previous record-holder can be considered a 176-layer flash memory chips, the production of which both Micron and Samsung began in the second half of 2021.
Also recall the Chinese company YMTC, which is about to appear in the arsenal of 192-layer 3D NAND.Another advantage of new products Micron can be considered as moving the control electronics under the chip with an array of cells.
This is a CMOS under array (CuA) technology, which all 3D NAND manufacturers have to a greater or lesser extent today.
Micron does not disclose detailed specifications for 232-layer chips.
It is known that the capacity of chips is 1 Tbit (128 GB) and in general they have become faster, which promises the emergence of even more efficient SSDs.

Micron will increase share of long-term contracts with customers

Micron Technology's management spoke to investors this week, promising to increase dividends and share repurchase costs, outlining a trend of decreasing dependence on the PC market and talking about an experiment with a new type of long-term contract.
The picture of the future, in general, turned out to be optimistic, the company's share price rose by a small percent.Image source: Micron TechnologyIn the period up to 2025 the supply of memory type DRAM will grow by 17-19% annually, in the segment of NAND this figure will reach 28-29%.
By the end of the decade, Micron predicts that the total turnover of the memory chip industry will reach $330 billion versus $161 billion in 2021.
Already, memory chips account for 30% of the semiconductor industry's total turnover, though at the beginning of the century they settled for 10%.The data center segment provided $50 billion in memory revenue last year.
Until the middle of the decade, memory shipments in this segment will grow at an average annual rate of 28% for DRAM and 33% per year for NAND.Automotive market turnover last year did not exceed $4 billion, but demand for DRAM type memory in this segment until the middle of the decade should grow at 40% annually, and in the case of NAND this figure will reach 49%.
A fully autonomous driven car will require 30 times more DRAM type memory, and 100 times more NAND type memory, than a driver-only driven car.Micron is gradually reducing its reliance on the PC and smartphone markets.
While both segments accounted for about 55% of the company's revenue last year, their share will drop to 38% by mid-decade.
By then, the data center segment will increase its share from 30% to 42%, and the combined share of the automotive, industrial and telecom segments will increase from 15% to 20%.As an experiment, Micron has signed a long-term memory supply agreement with one of its ten largest customers, which provides an annual revenue supplement of more than $500 million for more than three years.
The customer in this case gets the priority right to receive products in short supply, and the pricing policy is adjusted as the manufacturer's costs decrease.
At the same time, the price of the contract is not subject to fluctuations which are typical for the short-term market.
At the same time, it was announced about Micron's intention to increase the amount of dividends by 15% and provide up to 100% of the available funds for the return of capital to investors.
Now this value does not exceed 50%.