Macronix International Co., Ltd. (MCIX; often shortened to Macronix) is an integrated device manufacturer in the non-volatile memory (NVM) market. The company manufactures NOR Flash, NAND Flash, and ROM products for the consumer, communication, computing, automotive, and networking markets. Its headquarters are located in Taiwan.
Company type | Public |
---|---|
TWSE: 2337 | |
Industry | Semiconductors |
Founded | 1988 |
Headquarters |
History edit
Headquartered in Taiwan, Macronix was established in 1989. In 1997 the company was a global supplier of Mask ROM and EPROMs.[1]
In 2012 the company developed a process to prolong the life of solid state drives.[2]
Macronix developed specialized memory chips for the consumer electronics industry, including those used in Nintendo's 3DS and Switch devices,[3] and Samsung's wearable electronic devices.[4]
In 2014 the company had around 4,500 employees and a capitalization of NT$33.8 Billion (as of 2011/12/31). Total revenue was NT$22.4 Billion, although the company experienced overall operating losses.[4] That year Macronix was involved in an unsuccessful patent infringement legal battle with competitor Spansion Inc.[5][6]
As of 2016, Macronix had branches in Europe, the United States, Japan, Korea, Singapore and China, and was the largest supplier of Mask ROMs in the world. The company experienced operating losses and its credit rating on the Taiwan Stock Exchange was downgraded.[7]
Recognizing the market opportunity in proprietary semiconductor designs becoming high-volume, open-market flash memory, Macronix leveraged flash memory customized for specific customers into widely available devices for broader applications.[8]
Macronix has developed partnerships with various microcontroller manufacturers to pair its OctaBus flash memory with the partners’ MCUs.[9]
In the automotive market, Macronix’s automotive-grade ArmorFlash memory is being adopted by automotive-electronics makers to bring highly secure data storage to vehicles.[10] [11]
In 2021, Macronix became the first NVM manufacturer to bring 1.2-volt, 120MHz Serial NOR flash to mass production, contributing to a new generation and broader range of devices requiring ultra-low-power flash memory.[12]
Macronix in 2022 introduced its memory-centric computing concept, developed to enable AI-focused computation within flash devices.[13] [14] Also in 2022, Macronix received EE Times Asia’s Best Memory Product award for the second consecutive year.[15]
References edit
- ^ Chung-Shing Lee; Michael Pecht (7 February 1997). Electronics Industry in Taiwan. CRC Press. pp. 88–. ISBN 978-0-8493-3170-1.
- ^ "Macronix self-healing SSDs last ten times longer". PC Gamer, Dave James December 05, 2012
- ^ "Nintendo’s mysterious new console may be ditching discs altogether". Tech Insider, Jul. 26, 2016. Ben Gilbert and Tim Mulkerin
- ^ a b "Macronix shares rise on Samsung news". Taipei News, Apr 17, 2014 Lisa W ang
- ^ "Spansion Scores Win Against Macronix in Patent Spat - Hailey Lynne McKeefry". E E Times, 3/14/2014
- ^ "Winston & Strawn Sues Client Over $1.8M Patent Fight Tab". Law 360, By Jack Newsham
- ^ "Macronix remains in the red". Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES, Taipei 28 July 2016
- ^ "Proprietary Memories Are a High-Risk Endeavor". EE Times, Gary Hilson, April 1, 2024
- ^ "STMicro Using OctaBus Flash Memory from Macronix". Embedded Computing Design, Perry Cohen, April 15, 2021
- ^ "Macronix Joins Forces with NVIDIA to Provide Secure Flash Memory in Autonomous Vehicles". Embedded Computing Design, Laura Dolan, August 7, 2019
- ^ "Program Forges Tighter Bonds Between Automakers and Taiwan Chipmakers". Electronic Design, Murray Slovick, July 18, 2022
- ^ "Macronix brings 120MHz 1.2V Serial NOR Flash memories to mass production". New Electronics, Neil Tyler, December 1, 2021
- ^ "Macronix intros compute-in-NAND Storage". Blocks & Files, Chris Mellor, August 12, 2022
- ^ "Memory-Centric Compute Speeds Searches for Machine-Learning Apps". Electronic Design, William Wong, April 24, 2023
- ^ "Macronix Wins Back-to-Back Memory Product of the Year Honors at EE Awards Asia". EE Times, Steven Las Marias, December 14, 2022