Taipei, May 9, 2008 (CENS)--German chipmaker Qimonda and Macronix International Co., Ltd. of Taiwan recently co-announced the end to their cooperation on a non-volatile flash-memory technology program.

Macronix executives pointed out that behind the abortion of the cooperation is Qimonda`s decision to shift its resources to development of Buried-Wordline DRAM technology from flash-memory technology.

By signing a five-year pact in January this year, the two chipmakers originally planned to co-develop the memory technology on their each technological specialty and with capital contributed by them in the kitty.

Macronix`s original idea was developing sub-40nm non-volatile flash-memory process with Qimonda to offer higher-density chips to Nintendo and apply to NAND Flash and NOR Flash chips.

Macronix executives stressed the termination of the cooperation would not affect their company`s efforts to develop latest flash-memory technologies and their company would keep searching strategic partners and deploying in flash-memory segment. Macronix is presently Taiwan`s No.1 flash-memory chipmaker and has held a great number of flash-memory patents.

People familiar with the situation pointed out the end to the cooperation would not affect Macronix`s product shipments and would save the company tens of millions of Taiwan dollar every year on research and development.

Macronix is another Taiwanese chipmaker after Nanya Technology that has ended cooperation with Qimonda. But Qimonda announced it had signed an agreement to license Winbond Electronics its 65nm Buried Worldline process technology shortly after the termination of the Qimonda-Macronix cooperation deal was surfaced.

Winbond executives said after knowing Qimonda`s new technology roadmap their company had changed the content of a contract to license 58nm and 70nm trench DRAM process technology from Qimonda to license 65nm Buried Worldline process from it. Qimonda has licensed Winbond its 80nm, 90nm and 110nm technologies.

Winbond executives said the company would start migrating to 65nm process at the end of this year from 70nm process. They added the company would use the new technology primarily to make 1Gb DDRII memory chips.

(by Ken Liu)