Ann: Suspension from Official Quotation, page-145

My take is HGST has paid some money in the form of a free access to HGST Fremont facilities and use of equipment.

4DS did spent some money on equipment, from memory, not more the 1,5 million since IPO.
This is not enough to pay for a semiconductor research Lab.
The odd 40 or 50 millions invested in 4DS since inception all went into salaries and contractor fees (less than 10 millions at Imec).


And also it seems completely unreasonable to have granted HGST those exorbitant privilèges : NDA, Use of every discovery without paying anything (but not licensing), right to have a licence at low cost,...
... for just one technological input at the beginning of 2020.

From memory, we also have this comment from one paid analyst that cover 4DS, that the JDA will allow 4DS to developp its technology without paying all the costs usualy supported by other memory developpers (Symetrics and Crossbar = 250 millions USD).

So, imo, HGST did pay something, either in cash or low cost leasing of their facilities and equipment.


But of course, it is not for us to know the terms of the JDA, as we are only the owners of the company.