Micron Collaborates With A*Star on STT-MRAM

Micron Technology, Inc. and Singapore’s A*STAR Data Storage Institute (DSI) jointly announced that the two companies have entered into an agreement to collaborate on the development of spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM), a promising alternative non-volatile memory technology for next-generation storage.

Current commercial SSDs use NAND flash memory, a type of non-volatile memory, to store data. Demand for these types of drives has been increasing rapidly. SSDs, unlike HDDs, contain no moving parts and are less susceptible to physical shock and vibration than HDDs. SSDs are also capable of retaining their memory without power and are very durable. However, as the memory industry continues to scale NAND flash memory, it sees issues such as limited endurance and high write power. Therefore, the industry is currently researching alternative non-volatile memory solutions such as STT-MRAM. It also has potential to address technology scaling roadmap challenges of volatile memory such as DRAM and hence can greatly enhance the performance for many volatile memory applications as well.

As part of the collaboration, Micron and DSI will invest in joint research to develop high-density STT-MRAM devices during the next three years. Researchers from both Micron and DSI will work together to develop high-density STT-MRAM devices.

"Micron is actively working on multiple emerging memory development programs, and we are pleased to collaborate with DSI to explore the potential of STT-MRAM," said Scott DeBoer, Micron Vice President of Research and Development.

"DSI is excited about this collaboration with Micron. It signifies our progressive success in attracting the world’s best to develop an R&D ecosystem in Singapore for next generation non-volatile memory," said Dr. Pantelis Alexopoulos, Executive Director of DSI. "I believe this is a good opportunity for DSI, as we combine our technological expertise in STT-MRAM with Micron’s expertise in memory product development in an advanced fabrication facility."