4DS Memory entering a design agreement with Infineon marks a major milestone on the path to commercialisation. Technically, this collaboration represents the transition of 4DS’s work at imec into a commercial custom ASIC design for its Non-Filament IS ReRAM technology.
Why Infineon and not imec for the custom ASIC design?
One plausible reason I have is that imec, while an exceptional research and development hub, may not possess the extensive IP library or the expertise necessary to develop custom circuitry tailored to the specific needs of 4DS’sInterface Switching ReRAM. Another theory is that Ting, recognising imec’s limitations in this area, strategically chose Infineon to lead the commercial aspect of this development. Infineon brings industry-leading experience and resources, making them the ideal partner for designing a commercial-ready memory platform.
From a commercial perspective, having a heavyweight like Infineon design a custom ASIC with optimized read/write circuitry tailored for 4DS’s unique PCMO ReRAM technology is a game-changer. This partnership positions 4DS to showcase its commercial viability and readiness for integration into real-world applications, such as AI.
For the past six years, 4DS has been focused on validating its PCMO technology, particularly its process development and area-based characteristics, through collaboration with imec. I believe this phase is now complete, and the threshold to proceed to commercialisation (Infineon) has been exceeded. This marks the completion of R&D. Thank you, Ting—Great job.
Platform 5, though still in testing, has validated critical process conditionsthat allowed 4DS to engage with industry heavyweight Infineon and move toward Phase3, otherwise known as commercialisation. Once again, Thank you, Ting. The development of Platform 6 “proving 20nm” is another exceptional move by Ting—it truly is the icing on the cake.
Another question: Why hasn’t Infineon taken an equity stake in this commercialisation phase?
One theory is that Ting wanted to protect 4DS’s IP and trade secrets while keeping the company firmly in control, basically staying in the driver’s seat. Additionally, DM likely wanted to avoid attaching complex arrangements or strings if you will, that could limit the company’s exit options at this critical final stage. This explains DM’s decision to raise capital independently, ensuring 4DSretains control over its future exit strategy.
Unfortunately, there’s a disconnect between Ting’s extraordinary success in driving the technology to commercialisation and the efforts of DM and PH to promote these milestones and translate them into share price appreciation. I feel compelled to step in and help build awareness of 4DS’s success because the current promotional efforts are falling far too short of the remarkable progress Ting has achieved (Ting has succeeded where Micron and Intel have failed).
While I am gutted about the share price action, I took it as an opportunity to top up after researching and feeling a lot more comfortable with now being in the commercialisation end of this journey. I am no longer looking at the moves DM and PH make; I am explicitly following Ting as he is the only one that knows exactly what time it is.
We have two streams:
Ting : Successfully delivering a product for commercialisation (I am invested here)
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DM and PH : Unsuccessfully translating the successful outcomes Ting has delivered and promoting or creating retail interest to run the share price north (We should be at minimum $0.30c and they have failed to deliver this in 2024).
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