Spansion, IBM ink cross licensing agreement
Flash maker Spansion announces it has entered into a seven-year patent cross licensing agreement with IBM, one that could see the two companies advance Big Blue's recently announced Racetrack technology.
By Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News -- EDN, April 28, 2008
Flash maker Spansion Inc today announced it has entered into a seven-year patent cross licensing agreement with IBM, one that could see the two companies advance Big Blue’s recently announced Racetrack technology.
While representatives for Spansion would not confirm on a call with Electronic News that the agreement will see the two companies work on IBM’s Racetrack, an electronic memory solution that combines some of the attributes of flash drives with those of computer hard disk drives, the company made special effort to note the next-generation technology in its press release. Spansion also noted when speaking to Electronic News that the agreement is not exclusively flash, but would not elaborate further.
Racetrack could lead to cheaper, more durable electronic devices that would hold far more data in the same amount of space and boot up more quickly, according to Spansion.
"We are greatly impressed with IBM's relentless commitment to invest in disruptive technology, as well as the breadth and depth of their patent portfolio," said Dr. Louis Parrillo, executive VP of research and development for Spansion, in its press statement. "We believe entering into this patent cross license agreement with IBM gives us access to some of the most advanced technology in the world, providing Spansion the opportunity to further its leadership in flash memory design, manufacturing, and overall innovation."
Included in Spansion's patent portfolio are patents relating to its MirrorBit technology, a charge-trapping technology that is believed by Spansion to be the most likely successor to floating gate technology for scaling flash memory to sub-45-nm process lithography nodes. Sales of products based on MirrorBit technology are on-track to reach $2 billion this year, Spansion reported.
"As the memory market continues to evolve, both technically and economically, IBM continues to do advanced research on new storage and memory technologies," said Tom Reeves, VP of business development for IBM Technology and Intellectual Property, in the statement. "IBM is open to forming new partnerships for the development and commercialization of such technologies."
Spansion and IBM will also partner on the continued development of flash memory solutions for the Chinese market. Spansion claims a final manufacturing facility in Suzhou, design centers in Suzhou and Beijing, and sales and marketing offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, employing more than 1,300 employees in those locations.
