Powerchip is set to start 40nm shipments

DRAM MAKER Powerchip says that it is on target to ship 40nm NAND flash chips in the second half of 2010.

Company chairman Frank Huang said that its flash business will place its future focus on niche and customised products.

The outfit did a licence deal with Renesas and developed its in-house flash memory technology.

Its current plan is to use the 70nm process, which is its major NAND flash chip technology at present. However the outfit has developed 8Gb products using 50nm.

Powerchip was in a little bit of hot water last year when it tried to win government rescue funding. The Taiwanese government told Powerchip to go forth and multiply and there were concerns about the company.

Huang said the company is shifting to a 63nm process technology for DRAM, which should yield a 20 per cent cost reduction.

Its transition to 45nm process technology will depend on when it can take delivery of immersion scanner equipment, which had been delayed.

Huang told Digitimes that DRAM prices are at "reasonable" levels and after a quick shuffle of the Tarot cards predicted a rosy outlook for the company through 2011. µ