Elpida provides memory for PS3...

[Almasy]

Well, I found this, and I think it´s very interesting. Can this company provide better memory than Rambus can?

Elpida Supplies Memory For Next-Generation PlayStation

By: D. F. Smith June 5, 2003 11:10 AM PDT
Japanese memory manufacturer Elpida, a joint venture between electronics companies NEC and Hitachi, will supply the next-generation DRAM memory for Sony's next games console, Bloomberg Japan reports today. Elpida will apparently be the recipient of substantial investment from Sony in the intermediate term, following investments in its business from NEC, Hitachi, and Intel.
The arrival of Elpida as a player in the creation of the next PlayStation comes as a surprise, given Sony's close prior involvement with American memory company Rambus (which creates the DRAM in the PlayStation 2). However, Sony's investment in Rambus has so far been focused on its memory interface technologies, not the memory chips themselves. The system might use Rambus' interface to link Sony's semiconductors and Elpida's memory.

Elpida appears to be ramping up its production capability in anticipation of significant new business. It plans to increase the production capacity of its facilities in Japan from 3000 wafers per month at present to 15,000 per month by the end of March 2004, and to 21,000 wafers per month in the following year.

Link: http://www.gamers.com/news/1397028

 

[archie4oz]

The arrival of Elpida as a player in the creation of the next PlayStation comes as a surprise, given Sony's close prior involvement with American memory company Rambus (which creates the DRAM in the PlayStation 2).

Just to correct a few things... Rambus doesn't create DRAMs at all, they simply license the technology. PS2 DRAMs originally came from Toshiba and are now manufactured at the Oita fab. As far as investing goes, I don't really find it surprising as Elpida is more likely to impliment and produce the newer protocol Rambus modules than Sony or Toshiba is...

However, Sony's investment in Rambus has so far been focused on its memory interface technologies, not the memory chips themselves. The system might use Rambus' interface to link Sony's semiconductors and Elpida's memory.

I think this guy is misunderstanding a few things...

 

[zurich]

This was brought up in a topic a few threads back. Basically, Epilda != non-Rambus, just a different manufacturer of RDRAM (Samsung did the RDRAM for PS2).

 

[archie4oz]

Samsung did the RDRAM for PS2

Samsung is the largest provider, but Toshiba was the original source (my 10000 has Toshiba modules in it). Also most of the current ones coming off the line have their memory fabbed at Oita (whether it's Toshiba or Sony I don't know)...

 

[Vince]

Oita is owned by Toshiba, AFAIK.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I thought it ws co-owned and that the new Toshiba fab in Oita will receive Sony money as well...

 

[PC-Engine]

Elpida Memory Venture Expects to Raise 81.5 Bln Yen (Update2)
June 5 (Bloomberg) -- NEC Corp. and Hitachi Ltd.'s memory- chip venture expects to raise 81.5 billion yen ($687 million) this year, helping it boost production in a bid to be competitive with rivals such as South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co.

The money, which includes a planned 12 billion yen investment from Intel Corp., will be used to increase capacity fivefold at Elpida Memory Inc.'s plant in Hiroshima, Japan, the company said in a news release distributed to reporters in Tokyo.

Money-losing Elpida needs to update its factories to compete with bigger rivals such as Samsung Electronics and Boise, Idaho- based Micron Technology Inc. Intel's investment helps the Santa Clara, California-based company ensure a steady supply of computer- memory chips able to work with its latest processors.

Elpida, Japan's sole manufacturer of dynamic random-access memory chips, plans to use the additional financing to help raise monthly production capacity to 15,000 wafers, the company said.

In addition to the Intel investment, Elpida announced this week that NEC and Hitachi will each invest 9.5 billion yen. Elpida's fundraising efforts could reach as much as 112.8 billion yen, President Yukio Sakamoto told reporters in Tokyo.

The latest round of fundraising is a precursor to a sale of shares to the public Elpida expects to occur late next year, Sakamoto said.

Profitability

Elpida has failed to make a profit since its establishment in 1999. Taiwan's Nanya Technology Corp., the world's fastest-growing memory-chip maker, overtook Elpida to become the industry's fifth- largest producer, according to market researcher Gartner Inc.

Samsung Electronics dominates the $15.5 billion memory-chip market with a 32 percent share, followed by Micron, South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor Inc., Germany's Infineon Technologies AG, Nanya and Elpida, according to Gartner's rankings.

Aided by the additional investment in capacity, Elpida expects sales to almost double to 110 billion yen this fiscal year from 65 billion yen last year, Sakamoto said.

In the year ending March 2005, sales could rise to as high as 290 billion yen, Sakamoto said.

In addition attracting investment, Elpida has held talks to buy NEC's Hiroshima memory-chip plant, which is now supplying the devices to the joint venture.

Separately, Elpida will supply computer-memory chips to Sony Corp. for use in that company's successor to the PlayStation 2 video-game console, Elpida Chief Operating Officer Shuichi Otsuka said in an interview.