Micron reveals the reason behind Intel NAND partnership split

Micron reveals reason behind Intel NAND partnership split

Micron reveals the reason behind Intel NAND partnership split

Back in January Intel and Micron announced that their NAND technology partnership was coming to an end, with both companies planning to independently create NAND technology in the future to best cater to their individual business needs. 

Until now, the reason behind the Intel/Micron break-up was unknown, though now it seems that Intel and Micron simply wanted to take their NAND technology in separate directions. 

Unlike competing NAND manufacturers like Samsung, SK Hynix, Western Digital and Toshiba, Micron and Intel make use of Floating Gate NAND technology, a production technique which both companies touted as superior to the Charge-Trap model with pretty much every other NAND manufacturer uses. With their 4th Generation of 3D NAND, Micron plans to move from Floating Gate to Charge-Trap, a significant U-turn for the company, leaving Intel as the only supporter of Floating Gate NAND technology. 

Previously Micron was sceptical about the longevity of 3D Charge-Trap NAND, speculating that a thumb drive using this NAND could wipe itself after six months without use. Micron didn’t think that Charge-Trap NAND would be usable as a long-term non-volatile storage medium, which is why they decided to work on Floating Gate technology, which they considered to more reliable. 

Right now most major NAND manufacturers use Charge-Trap NAND, with no signs of reliability issues, high power consumption levels, low read/write performance or any other indication of underlying production issues. It appears that Micron was wrong to write-off Charge-Trap NAND so early. 

Micron reveals reason behind Intel NAND partnership split
While the Intel/Micron Floating Gate NAND alliance is over, both companies continue to work together on XPoint memory. Both companies use jointly owned fabs to create XPoint memory, with plans to continue developing the technology as a non-volatile storage medium and as an alternative to DRAM in select applications.   

Intel and Micron are going their own way with their future NAND development, allowing Micron to catch up with their competitors with Charge-Trap NAND while Intel appears to be continuing to work on Floating Gate NAND technology. 

You can join the discussion on the reason behind Intel/Micron’s NAND partnership break-up on the OC3D Forums.  

Special thanks to TheF34RChannel for the info.Â