Freescale spins out its MRAM chip business

June 8, 2008 | Dean Takahashi | Comments | |

I wish my memory could get this kind of upgrade. Today, a new kind of chip memory is going to get a boost with the launch of a new venture spin-out company. If it succeeds, we’ll be carrying around much more responsive, instantly available portable gadgets in the future.

MRAM has been in the research labs for a long time as a chip technology that has the combined advantages of both temporary and permanent memory. But it has always been poised on the cusp, not quite ready yet to tip the scales in multibillion-dollar industries.

But Freescale Semiconductor is making a big move today by spinning out a venture-funded MRAM chip company, EverSpin Technologies. The spin-out is backed by New Venture Partners, Sigma Partners, Lux Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Epic Ventures. The first round investment is $20 million.

MRAM stands for magnetoresistive Random Access Memory. MRAM uses tiny magnets combined with conventional silicon circuits to create a combo memory. It is a single chip with the speed of static RAM and the permanence, or non-volatility, of flash memory. Typically, flash is slow and permanent, while SRAM is fast but temporary.

With MRAM powering a portable device, you could have zero boot time, or “instant on.” And you wouldn’t lose any data if the device suddenly lost power. Freescale will transfer its MRAM technology to the start-up and keep an equity position in the new venture.

The new venture means a couple of things. It will require an investment that is bigger than what Freescale alone could pour into the start-up. But it also means that the technology is closer to commercialization after years of research. Lisa Su, chief technology officer at Freescale, said the move will accelerate the adoption of MRAM across a bunch of uses. Freescale already has a slate of MRAM products in the market and EverSpin will supply products to Freescale’s MRAM customers.

MRAM hasn’t yet taken over the world because the products still have smaller storage capacities (four megabits) for the moment. As the manufacturing improves and memory capactities rise, MRAM will be able to wrest more applications away from traditional memory.

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About the Author, Dean Takahashi

Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

  • MRAM is getting some renewed hype lately. Freescale sold over 1M chips already, and have over 40 customers for the chips.

    A lot of companies are also working on MRAM. Toshiba is working on 1Gb chips, and says that as soon as 2015 MRAM could take over DRAM.

    http://www.mram-info.com/
  • Peter Antypas
    I bet she's read Christensen's books. This is textbook disruption in the making.
  • With MRAM powering a portable device, you could have zero boot time, or “instant on.”

    With Flash powering a portable device, you can have zero boot time right now.

    MRAM has poor size scaling for possible future generations, has write-power problems, and is made with materials and processes that are non-traditional for silicon fabs. A number of memory companies have already terminated MRAM development. The smart money is on phase-change RAM, which Infineon, Samsung and IBM/Macronix are avidly pursuing.
  • Freescale is doing a great job, I hope somebody uses those in a next generation playstation portable = )
  • Eduard
    Our group has developed essentially new kind of magnetic memory MRAM. It is much easier, faster, the greater capacity, the inexpensive price. Our patent is better, than develops MRAM : IBM, Freescale, Samsung, Nec, Infenion and etc. At it essentially new system records and reproduction of the information, a new control system of memory. The general information in the appendix to the letter. We have a laboratory sample confirming unequivocally an opportunity of creation on this principle much more effective, cheap, apacious, fast than all existing development MRAM. We offer this technology or to the investor for creation of industrial samples MRAM based on our principle, and joint sale to the interested firms to-manufacturers or directly firm-manufacturer and developer MRAM.
    I with pleasure shall answer your questions. I ask to send me the answer to my address even if it does not approach you.
    Best Regards
    Eduard German
  • Eduard
    Our group has developed essentially new kind of magnetic memory MRAM. It is much easier, faster, the greater capacity, the inexpensive price. Our patent is better, than develops MRAM : IBM, Freescale, Samsung, Nec, Infenion and etc. At it essentially new system records and reproduction of the information, a new control system of memory. The general information in the appendix to the letter. We have a laboratory sample confirming unequivocally an opportunity of creation on this principle much more effective, cheap, apacious, fast than all existing development MRAM. We offer this technology or to the investor for creation of industrial samples MRAM based on our principle, and joint sale to the interested firms to-manufacturers or directly firm-manufacturer and developer MRAM.
    I with pleasure shall answer your questions. I ask to send me the answer to my address even if it does not approach you.
    Best Regards
    Eduard German
    nanoinvest1@mail.ru
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