Intel, Micron Achieve Industry’s Most Efficient NAND Product Using 3-Bit-Per-Cell Technology

SANTA CLARA, Calif. & BOISE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Intel Corporation and Micron Technology Inc. (NYSE:MU) today announced the development of a new 3-bit-per-cell (3bpc) multi-level cell (MLC) NAND technology, leveraging their award-winning 34-nanometer (nm) NAND process. The chips are typically used in consumer storage devices such as flash cards and USB drives, where high density and cost-efficiency are paramount.

Designed and manufactured by IM Flash Technologies (IMFT), their NAND flash joint venture, the new 3bpc NAND technology produces the industry’s smallest and most cost-effective 32-gigabit (Gb) chip that is currently available on the market. The 32Gb 3bpc NAND chip is 126mm². Micron is currently sampling and will be in mass production in the fourth quarter 2009. With the companies continuing to focus on the next process shrink, 3bpc NAND technology is an important piece of their product strategy and is an effective approach in serving key market segments.

“We see 3bpc NAND technology as an important piece of our roadmap,” said Brian Shirley, vice president of Micron’s memory group. “We also continue to move forward on further shrinks in NAND that will provide our customers with a world-leading portfolio of products for many years to come. Today’s announcement further highlights that Micron and Intel have made great strides in 34-nanometer NAND, and we look forward to introducing our 2xnm technology later this year.”

“The move to 3bpc is yet another proof point to the remarkable progress Intel and Micron have made in 34-nm NAND development,” said Randy Wilhelm, Intel vice president and general manager, Intel NAND Solutions Group. “This milestone sets the stage for continued silicon leadership on 2xnm process that will help decrease costs and increase the capabilities of our NAND solutions for our customers.”

Relevant Links

There are other ways to stay up-to-date on Micron and Intel news:

• Micron Innovations Blog: www.micronblogs.com
• Micron on Twitter: http://twitter.com/microntechpr
• Intel Pressroom: www.intel.com/pressroom
• Intel Blog: www.blogs.intel.com
• Intel on Twitter: http://twitter.com/intelnews

About Intel

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and http://blogs.intel.com. For more details on Intel NAND flash solutions go to www.intel.com/go/ssd.

About Micron

Micron Technology, Inc., is one of the world's leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions. Through its worldwide operations, Micron manufactures and markets DRAMs, NAND flash memory, other semiconductor components, and memory modules for use in leading-edge computing, consumer, networking, and mobile products. Micron’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the MU symbol. To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc., visit www.micron.com.

©2009 Micron Technology, Inc. and Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. Information is subject to change without notice.

Micron and the Micron logo are trademarks of Micron Technology, Inc.

Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the production of the 3bpc 32 Gb NAND device. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Please refer to the documents Micron files on a consolidated basis from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically Micron's most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. These documents contain and identify important factors that could cause the actual results for Micron on a consolidated basis to differ materially from those contained in our forward-looking statements (see Certain Factors). Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.

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