Intel and Micron end 3D Nand collaboration
Intel and Micron have announced that they are ending their collaboration in the development of 3D Nand Flash memory. The companies say they still want to finish the third generation.
That should happen at the end of this year or at the beginning of 2019, the companies write in a joint announcement. They add that the 3D XPoint collaboration will continue at the IMFlash fab in the US state of Utah. It is now fully focused on the production of this type of memory.
Intel makes 3D XPoint memory under the Optane name, while Micron’s is called QuantX. In the announcement, the companies say they will continue to work separately on the development of 3d-nand in the future. They do this to ‘better optimize the technology and products for their own business needs’.
The collaboration between Intel and Micron in the form of IMFlash dates back to 2006. Anandtech writes that Intel sold shares to Micron in 2012, leaving only the Utah fab as shared ownership between the two companies. The site suggests that the decision to end the collaboration stems from disagreements about production methods or the architecture to be used.