根據(jù)一份名為Calcalist的希伯來文刊物報(bào)導(dǎo),PC與消費(fèi)性電子大廠蘋果(Apple)正在洽商收購以色列新創(chuàng)公司 Anobit Technologies ,價(jià)格在4億至5億美元之間; Anobit 是 NAND閃存控制器開發(fā)商,號稱可提升閃存的耐久度(最大讀寫次數(shù))。
閃存的耐久度隨著制程微 縮而大幅下滑,因此使得該種內(nèi)存不再適用許多領(lǐng)域;而當(dāng)耐久度降低,就可能需要安裝額外的內(nèi)存以提供更多緩沖空間。成立于2006年的Anobit原 本是生產(chǎn)固態(tài)硬盤(solid-state drives,SSD),該公司開發(fā)的內(nèi)存訊號處理(Memory Signal Processing,MSP)技術(shù),結(jié)合了糾錯(cuò)與內(nèi)存管理架構(gòu),能彌補(bǔ)錯(cuò)誤與用舊了的項(xiàng)目,并因此提高閃存耐久度。
Anobit 已經(jīng)與海力士半導(dǎo)體(Hynix Semiconductor)合作,在2011年初量產(chǎn)MSP2020 NAND閃存控制器;根據(jù)Calcalist的報(bào)導(dǎo),該款芯片并已獲得多款A(yù)pple產(chǎn)品采用,包括 iPhone 、 iPad 與MacBook air。
據(jù)了解,Anobit從Pitango、Battery Ventures、Intel Capital與 Micron Technologies取得了超過7,200萬美元的融資;該公司員工數(shù)約200人。在今年8月,Anobit宣布,該公司已經(jīng)出貨了超過2,000萬 顆閃存控制器,而且其MSP2025芯片可支持采用20奈米/次20奈米制程技術(shù)的256GByte NAND閃存。
編譯:Judith Cheng
本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times,版權(quán)所有,謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載
參考英文原文:Report: Apple in talks to buy flash memory firm,by Peter Clarke
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Report: Apple in talks to buy flash memory firm
Peter Clarke
LONDON – PC and consumer goods firm Apple is in talks to buy startup Anobit Technologies Ltd. at a price of between $400 million and $500 million, according to a report in a Hebrew publication called Calcalist.
Anobit (Herzeliya, Israel) has developed NAND flash controller technology that can improve the apparent endurance – the number of reads and writes flash memory can perform. The raw endurance performance of flash memory reduces dramatically with reduction in the geometry of the manufacturing process technology, to the point where flash memory becomes unsuitable for many applications.
Anobit was founded in 2006 to make solid-state drives. It's MSP (Memory Signal Processing) technology is a combination of error correction and memory management schemes that compensates for errors and evens out wear thereby allowing higher apparent performance.
Low endurance can result in the need to install additional memory to provide endurance headroom. Anobit began production of its MSP2020 NAND flash memory controller in cooperation with Hynix Semiconductor Inc. earlier in 2011. Chips from Anobit are already incorporated in a number of Apple products, including the iPhone, the iPad and the MacBook air, the report said.
Anobit is examining a large financing round with a leading Asian flash memory manufacturer, the report said, and the talks with Apple may end up with both companies becoming strategic investors in Anobit, the report said.
Anobit is believed to have received more than $72 million from venture capital firms including Pitango, Battery Ventures, Intel Capital and Micron Technologies and has about 200 staff.
In August Anobit announced that it had shipped more than 20 million flash controllers and that its MSP2025 supported up to 256-Gbyte of NAND flash implemented on 20-nm and sub-20-nm process technology.
Prior to co-founding Anobit, Professor Ehud Weinstein was a co-founder, chairman and CEO of Libit Signal Processing, which was acquired by Texas Instruments in 1999. Ariel Maislos is a fellow co-founder of Anobit prior to which he was co-founder and president of Passave, which was acquired by PMC Sierra in 2006. CTO Avraham Meir was previously vice president of corporate engineering at SanDisk and the CTO at M-Systems until it was acquired by SanDisk.
Anobit entered the Silicon 60, EE Times' list of emerging startup companies at version 12.0 in 2011. The latest edition of the Silicon 60 is version 12.5, which is the topic of a detailed technology and employment digital edition which can be accessed via http://e.ubmelectronics.com/Silicon60/index.html
責(zé)編:Quentin