- Samsung has signed an settlement with China’s YMTC to make use of its hybrid bonding tech
- The transfer will forestall infringement claims in manufacturing of 400-layer NAND
- US-China commerce tensions may additionally have influenced the settlement
Samsung Electronics has signed a contract with Yangtze Reminiscence Applied sciences Co. (YMTC) which can permit it to make use of the Chinese language semiconductor firm’s bonding know-how within the manufacturing of its 400-layer NAND flash reminiscence.
Based in 2016 and headquartered in Wuhan, China, YMTC is a subsidiary of Tsinghua Unigroup, which is backed by the Chinese language authorities. It focuses on 3D NAND flash reminiscence, a important part in storage gadgets like SSDs, smartphones, and information facilities, and most famously developed Xtacking know-how, a proprietary structure that improves NAND flash efficiency and density.
In line with Korea’s ChosunBiz information website, Samsung probably entered into the settlement to keep away from a patent dispute associated to this “hybrid bonding,” which can be a necessary course of within the mass manufacturing of 400-layer NAND reminiscence.
US-China commerce struggle an element?
“YMTC registered the hybrid bonding patent and was the primary to use the related know-how within the manufacturing technique of NAND flash reminiscence. Though YMTC considerably trails behind international reminiscence semiconductor firms comparable to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix by way of market share, it’s rapidly catching up with South Korean companies, not too long ago beginning mass manufacturing of 294-layer NAND flash reminiscence,” the location explains.
It’s believed the settlement will defend each companies from violating one another’s patents. YMTC sued Micron in a U.S. court docket final 12 months, alleging infringement of its NAND tech.
ChosunBiz quotes a semiconductor business insider as saying, “Within the reminiscence semiconductor business, firms signal licensing agreements prematurely to keep away from patent disputes forward of next-generation product improvement and manufacturing. Whereas such agreements are a standard observe within the business, issues are rising over the speedy narrowing of the know-how hole between China and main firms, as Samsung, the highest participant within the NAND flash reminiscence market, is now utilizing patents from a Chinese language agency.”
eeNews Analog factors out that there could possibly be extra to the settlement than simply eager to keep away from infringement. “It might additionally mirror {that a} US-China commerce struggle might impression YMTC’s potential to promote reminiscence elements exterior China and {that a} licensing or cross-licensing association for varied applied sciences may benefit YMTC,” the location writes.
ChosunBiz’s article doesn’t point out SK Hynix, Samsung’s South Korean reminiscence rival, however it’s potential – probably even – that it too may have explored or entered into related licensing agreements with YMTC to safe the hybrid bonding know-how for its personal NAND flash manufacturing.