MRAM/ STT-MRAM
Similar target market to Weebit, Automotive, MCU, IoT, Storage & Compute.Available today in sizes up to 32Mb from multiple manufacturers. Generallyhigher cost, more exotic materials, but improved performance. MRAM operates insimilar target markets to RERAM and Weebit shall be fighting for a marketshare, Weebit will need to compete on either price, performance or power.
- Avalanche/ Sony Technology: Producing discrete & embedded MRAM
- IDT / Renesas - MRAM Selling Avalanche's MRAM Samsung In production, and in use by companies including Sony, Huawei for devices including smart watches.
- Qualcomm Partnering with GF & IMEC for STT-MRAM research. Has over 300 patents but no known ReRAM product.
- Everspin Everspin has been selling MRAM for 5 years selling 100s millions of units in partnership with Global Foundries.
- NVE Developing MRAM for 20+ years, FY22 revenue $27m
- Honewell Producing MRAM for critical defense applications, licensed from NVE
- Motorola/freesacke - Also licensed from NVE, developing early 2000s, may be discontinued.
- Fujtisu Developing in 2010, but appears to be discontinued.
PCM
- Micron/Intel 3D Xpoint PCM memory in the SCM space developed by Intel & Micron. Successful in the market since 2017 under the Optane label, but retired due to lack of profitability. Potential for fabs & fabless to reproduce once patents expire.
- IBM/ Hynix Samsung / Intel, STMicroelectronics Prototypes in 2006.
- Samsung may have launched a product a decade ago, but does not appear to be available anymore
- Western Digital Prototypes in 2014
- BAE Systems PCM solution in a radiation hardended form, not widely available. (C-RAM)
Other Technologies
- NRAM Nantero Carbon Nanotube switching - DDR5 performance, 2-20 nanoseconds, but non volatile. Scalable below 5nm & only 1 mask layer. Tier 1 investors, Dell, Cisco SMIC. Partnering with Fujitsu for development. Product available to select customers today produced at UMC in Japan, but low yield. Refinement needed. Scheduled for production in tier 1 US Fab 2024. Commercial availability 2025? 16/32GB chips. Price unknown, expected to be considerably more expanesive than Weebit ReRAM
- FRAM or FeRAM has similar target markets to ReRAM. Sold by companies including Fujitsu (embedded )for 20 years & Infineon (discrete) NanoBridge Startup. NanoBridge (NB) is a kind of electrochemical resistive-change device using Cu ion migration from Cu interconnects into electrolyte. One or two additional masks, low power
- CXL Protocol Datacenters shall leverage CXL to access large pools of DRAM & NAND Flash from nearby servers. Whilst not matching Weebit's claimed price, with the price of NAND flash closing on 3 cents per GB, CXL shall claim a large percentage of the SCM market unless Weebit can compete on price. Weebit memory should be compatible with CXL & therefore join DRAM & NAND in CXL pools.
- CXL - DDR3/DDR4 CXL protocol will enable cheap legacy memory to be utilized as SCM, priced around $0.2/GB, taking a share of the SCM space. Weebit shall compete on price
- DRAM Some product manufacturers with low performance devices may look towards ReRAM to replace expensive DRAM. One target market for Weebit.
- CeRAM lass of non-volatile memory, where carbon doping of nickel oxide NiO leads to a new type of electronics based electron interaction. Research stage
- CBRAM Labelled as a subtype of ReRAM. Developed by Qimonda , bought Adesto, then Dialog SemiConductor, then Renesas, then Global Foundries
- OxRAM A type of ReRAM, a transition metal oxide layer sandwiched between two metal electrodes. Under development by multiple companies, including CEA-Leti @28nm, Rambus, WD, HP, 4DS & Weebit Nano.
- Racetrack (RTM) Still in research phase by companies including IBM & Skyrmion . Non-volatile and faster than DRAM, but at a higher cost, potential to replace SRAM due to higher densities. Different target market to Weebit.
- Memristor HP was working with Hynix to develop new SCM memory, never came to market. Other start-ups are pursing the technology
- SOM / SSM /VSOM Selector Only memory, positioned as a 2nd generation SCM to replace 3D Xpoint. very low latency early prototype phase at SK Hynix
- ACIM analog-compute in memory, research phase. Sk Hynix RTC has successfully demonstrated 16 levels of a resistive RAM-based synapse cells platform with good set/reset characteristics which are embedded in a CMOS technology.
- Vertical ReRAM Selectorless ReRAM, research stage. Huazhong Univ. of Science and Technology
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