While Intel and Micron have produced NAND flash memory through their IM Flash Technologies LLC joint venture, Intel has not yet invested in the venture’s new Singapore plant. Could Intel be backing out of the manufacturing and development aspect of its SSD business?
Micron and Intel have been producing NAND flash memory though their joint venture, IM Flash Technologies LLC (IMFT), for several years. The venture has opened a new manufacturing plant in Singapore, however unlike the firm’s first plant, Intel has not (yet) invested in this one. Micron therefore owns the entire output of the plant, though they remain partners with Intel. Micron is expected to make most of the capital investments for IMFT in the future and will therefore own a larger percentage of the venture.
Industry analysts see Intel’s move as the company backing out of the manufacturing and development aspect of parts for their Solid State Drives (SSDs). However, other reports state that Intel is simply timing their investments differently than Micron; off the record Intel said it could gain back a considerable percentage of IMFT if it sped up its capital spending rate. Intel’s spending may differ because it is only interested in some of the NAND market while Micron is interested in all of it.
