Company:Yangtze Memory Technologies

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Short description: Chinese semiconductor company
Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp
Native name
长江存储科技有限责任公司
TypePartially state-owned enterprise
IndustrySemiconductors
FoundedJuly 26, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-07-26)[1]
HeadquartersWuhan, Hubei, China
Area served
Greater China
Key people
Chen Nanxiang
(Chairman and acting CEO)
Dr. Simon Shining Yang
(Deputy Chairman)[2]
ProductsFlash memory
SSDs
BrandsXtacking
Zhitai
Number of employees
~8,000 (2023)[3]
Website{{{1}}}
Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp
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Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC) is a Chinese semiconductor integrated device manufacturer specializing in flash memory (NAND) chips. Founded in Wuhan, China, in 2016, with government investment and a goal of reducing the country's dependence on foreign chip manufacturers, the company was formerly a subsidiary of partially state-owned enterprise Tsinghua Unigroup.[4][5]

YMTC produces enterprise solid state drives under its own brand. Its consumer products are marketed under the brand ZhiTai (Chinese: 致态).

History

Tsinghua Unigroup founded YMTC in July 2016, with a total investment of US$24 billion, including investments from the Hubei provincial government and the Chinese national "Big Fund" China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund.[6][7]

In 2018, YMTC released its Xtacking architecture designed for Vertical NAND chips at the Flash Memory Summit, receiving the "Best of Show" award for "Most Innovative Flash Memory Start-up Company".[8][9] Xtacking enables YMTC to manufacture the memory and the logic circuits on separate wafers and connect them using plasma activation and thermal annealing.[10] According to YMTC, this enables a higher speed for the production process and increases NAND performance.[10] YMTC's 3D NAND flash memory chips were the first to be domestically mass-produced in China.[11] Later in 2018, YMTC announced mass production of its 32-layer 3D NAND flash memory chip, and in September 2019, YMTC reported that it had started mass-producing its 64-layer TLC 3D NAND flash memory chip, with both chips using its Xtacking architecture.[12]

In April 2020, YMTC announced that it had developed a 128-layer 1.33 Tb flash memory chip.[13] From 2020 to 2021 YMTC suffered from unsatisfactory yield from its initial risk production of the 128-layer memory chip, averaging around 30 to 40 percent.[14] In September 2020, YMTC unveiled its first line of consumer products under the brand name Zhitai.[15]

As of 2021 YMTC was planning its second fab with a capacity of 100,000 wafers per month which will double its total output to 200,000 wpm.[16] In September 2021, the company's chief operating officer announced that the company had shipped more than 300 million 64-layer memory chips, and the company's 128-layer QLC memory chip was ready for volume production.[17]

News agencies reported in January 2022 that YMTC had scrapped its intention to build a second 3D NAND fab announced in 2017, citing serious financial issues at Tsinghua Unigroup, its parent firm.[5][18] Bloomberg News reported in March 2022 that Apple was exploring purchasing NAND chips from YMTC to diversify its NAND chip vendors.[19]

In May 2022 PCI-SIG listed two NVMe enterprise SSDs from YMTC as PCIe 4.0 verified.[20] In July 2022, the company's CEO Simon Yang resigned citing personal reasons.[21][22] Yang remains with the company as deputy chairman.[23]

In August 2022 YMTC unveiled the X3-9070, its first 232-layer 3D NAND chip.[24][25] In October 2022 Apple announced that it would drop a plan to use YMTC memory chips in its phones amid political pressure.[26][7] In November 2022 a TechInsights report stated that YMTC had delivered 232-layer 3D NAND Flash to the market.[27][28][29]

In December 2022 YMTC was added to the U.S. Entity List.[30] In February 2023 the company reportedly laid off 10 percent of its workforce, cancelled equipment orders, and delayed plant expansion plans in response to US sanctions and challenging market conditions caused by low demand.[31] In March, China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund announced its intention to invest an additional $1.9 billion into YMTC, indicating a potential revival of government funding.[32] In September 2023 the South China Morning Post reported that YMTC intensified its efforts to substitute US-sourced equipment with domestic alternatives, following a $7 billion capital infusion from state-supported investors.[33] TechInsights reported in October 2023 that YMTC shipped its first 232-layer 3D QLC NAND, setting an industry record of 19.8 Gbit/mm2.[34][35] In October 2023, YMTC again raised billions of dollars in a major fundraising round, necessitated by the high costs of adapting to stringent U.S. restrictions, including replacing U.S. equipment and developing new components, which had already depleted the $7 billion funding received prior.[36]

On November 9, 2023, YMTC sued rival memory maker Micron in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging infringement on eight of its patents.[37]

International reception

United States

In July 2021 U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul and Bill Hagerty wrote a letter to the United States Secretary of Commerce arguing that YMTC should be placed on the department's Entity List. The letter stated that YMTC will assist the Chinese government in using unfair trade tactics to force American competitors out of the memory-chip sector, thereby putting US national security in jeopardy. It also highlighted YMTC's alleged close ties with the Chinese Communist Party and People's Liberation Army. Additionally, some YMTC executives previously worked for Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, which was added to the Entity List in December 2020.[38][39]

In April 2022 U.S. Senator Marco Rubio voiced his displeasure with reports that Apple was considering procuring NAND chips from YMTC. YMTC, according to Rubio, has ties to the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army.[40][41] In September 2022, additional legislators urged the White House to put YMTC on the entity list after a report was released about YMTC's supply of chips to Huawei.[42] In October 2022, the Biden administration announced 31 Chinese companies, including YMTC, were being added to the Unverified List.[43] On December 15, the Biden administration added YMTC to the Entity List.[30][44] The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 also banned the U.S. federal government from buying or using chips from YMTC.[45]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Yangtze Memory Technologies Co Ltd - Company Profile and News" (in en). Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1577197D:CH. 
  2. ↑ Li, Jiaxing (1 October 2022). "China's top memory chip maker YMTC replaces CEO amid risks of US sanctions after rumoured Apple deal". https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3194519/chinas-top-memory-chip-maker-ymtc-replaces-ceo-amid-risks-us. 
  3. ↑ "Company Profile - YMTC". YMTC. https://www.ymtc.com/en/aboutus.html. 
  4. ↑ "China's top memory chip maker in the crosshairs of US sanctions" (in en). South China Morning Post. 25 September 2022. https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3193635/tech-war-chinas-top-memory-chip-maker-carefully-treads-path. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Shilov, Anton (26 January 2022). "Tsinghua Scraps 3D NAND and DRAM Fabs: May Affect Memory Prices" (in en). Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/tsinghua-scraps-3d-nand-and-dram-fabs. 
  6. ↑ "How China's chip industry defied the coronavirus lockdown". Nikkei Asia. https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/The-Big-Story/How-China-s-chip-industry-defied-the-coronavirus-lockdown. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Apple Built Its Empire With China. Now Its Foundation Is Showing Cracks.". The New York Times. 10 November 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/07/business/apple-china-ymtc.html. 
  8. ↑ "Flash Memory Summit Announces 2018 Best of Show Award Winners" (in en). AP NEWS. 16 December 2021. https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-472edca95b4b227a486f5f8c4750cbb3. 
  9. ↑ Cutress, Ian; Tallis, Billy. "Flash Memory Summit 2018, Yangtze Memory Technology Keynote Live Blog: Unleashing 3D NAND". AnandTech. https://www.anandtech.com/show/13186/flash-memory-summit-2018-yangtze-memory-technology-keynote-live-blog-unleashing-3d-nand. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Coughlin, Tom (2018-08-13). "Some Flash Memory Keynotes". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomcoughlin/2018/08/13/some-flash-memory-keynotes/?sh=4645d29b3202. 
  11. ↑ Choe, Jeongdong. "YMTC is China's First Mass Producer of 3D NAND Flash Memory Chips". TechInsights. https://www.techinsights.com/blog/ymtc-chinas-first-mass-producer-3d-nand-flash-memory-chips. 
  12. ↑ Clarke, Peter (2020-09-23). "China's YMTC takes 3D-NAND to 64 layers". eenewsanalog.com. https://www.eenewsanalog.com/news/chinas-ymtc-takes-3d-nand-64-layers. 
  13. ↑ Gkritsi, Eliza (23 April 2020). "A Chinese firm made a memory chip that can compete with Samsung. What's next?". https://technode.com/2020/04/23/ymtc-memory-chip/. 
  14. ↑ Siu, Han; Jessie, Shen. "YMTC sees low yield rates for 128-layer 3D NAND flash" (in en). DIGITIMES. https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20210824PD210.html. 
  15. ↑ "Semiconductor Industry: YMTC Starts Selling SSD Products" (in en). Businesskorea. 17 September 2020. http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=51963. 
  16. ↑ "The Impending Chinese NAND Apocalypse – YMTC 128 Layer NAND is the First Semiconductor Where China is Technologically Competitive". 28 September 2021. https://semianalysis.com/the-impending-chinese-nand-apocalypse-ymtc-128-layer-nand-is-the-first-semiconductor-where-china-is-technologically-competitive/. 
  17. ↑ Siu, Han; Jessie, Shen. "YMTC ready to volume produce 128-layer QLC NAND flash" (in en). DIGITIMES. https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20210922PD201.html. 
  18. ↑ Pan, Che (12 July 2022). "China's Tsinghua Unigroup completes debt restructuring, ownership change to keep afloat its major semiconductor operations". South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3185033/chinas-tsinghua-unigroup-completes-debt-restructuring-ownership. 
  19. ↑ "Apple Weighs More Memory Chip Suppliers, Including China". Bloomberg.com. 31 March 2022. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-31/apple-said-to-weigh-more-memory-chip-suppliers-including-china. 
  20. ↑ Shilov, Anton (13 May 2022). "YMTC's New In-House Controllers to Power PCIe 4.0 SSDs" (in en). https://www.tomshardware.com/news/ymtc-develops-pcie-gen4-ssd-controllers. 
  21. ↑ Manners, David (2022-09-30). "Yangtze Memory CEO reported to have resigned" (in en). https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/yangtze-memory-ceo-reported-to-have-resigned-2022-09/. 
  22. ↑ "CEO of Chinese chipmaker Yangtze Memory steps down" (in en-GB). https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tech/Semiconductors/CEO-of-Chinese-chipmaker-Yangtze-Memory-steps-down. 
  23. ↑ "传长江存储发生人士变动：原CEO杨士宁升任为常务副董，执行董事长陈南翔兼任CEO". https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20220930A07ERC00. 
  24. ↑ Pires, Francisco (3 August 2022). "YMTC Announces Xtacking 3.0 for Faster, Denser 3D TLC NAND" (in en). Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/ymtc-announces-xtacking-30-for-faster-denser-3d-tlc-nand. 
  25. ↑ Horwitz, Josh (4 August 2022). "China's memory upstart YMTC edges closer to rivals with 232-layer chip" (in en). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/chinas-memory-upstart-ymtc-edges-closer-rivals-with-232-layer-chip-2022-08-04/. 
  26. ↑ "Apple freezes plan to use China's YMTC chips amid political pressure" (in en-GB). 2022-10-17. https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tech/Semiconductors/Apple-freezes-plan-to-use-China-s-YMTC-chips-amid-political-pressure. 
  27. ↑ "Disruptive Event - YMTC 232L TLC 3D NAND". TechInsights. https://www.techinsights.com/disruptive-event/ymtc-232l-tlc-3d-nand. 
  28. ↑ "China's top memory chip maker YMTC on cusp of becoming a global market leader" (in en). South China Morning Post. 2022-12-01. https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3201715/chinas-top-memory-chip-maker-ymtc-takes-latest-step-become-global-market-leader-us-sanctions-could. 
  29. ↑ Shilov, Anton (10 December 2022). "Ultra-Fast SSDs Coming: 2400 MT/s NAND in Mass Production" (in en). Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/ymtc-releases-zhitai-tiplus7100-ssd-with-232-layer-3d-nand. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Alper, Alexandra (2022-12-15). "Biden blacklists China's YMTC, cracks down on AI chip sector" (in en). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/biden-blacklist-chinas-ymtc-crackdown-ai-chip-sector-2022-12-15/. 
  31. ↑ Freedman, Andrew (14 February 2023). "Chinese Flash Maker Slashes Jobs Amid Sanctions" (in en). Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/ymtc-cutting-jobs. 
  32. ↑ "China Plans to Inject $1.9 Billion Into Top Memory Chipmaker" (in en). Bloomberg.com. 2 March 2023. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-02/china-plans-to-inject-1-9-billion-into-top-memory-chipmaker. 
  33. ↑ Pan, Che (20 September 2023). "Exclusive: Top Chinese memory chip maker rushes to replace US parts in machinery" (in en). South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3235074/tech-war-chinas-top-memory-chip-maker-ymtc-forges-closer-ties-domestic-supplier-replace-us-parts. 
  34. ↑ "China Does It Again: A NAND Memory Market First". Techinsights. https://www.techinsights.com/blog/china-does-it-again-nand-memory-market-first. 
  35. ↑ Shilov, Anton (31 October 2023). "China's Blacklisted YMTC Ships World-Leading 232-Layer 3D QLC NAND" (in en). Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/chinas-ymtc-ships-232-layer-3d-qlc-nand-worlds-highest-recording-density. 
  36. ↑ Leng, Cheng; Liu, Qianer (2 November 2023). "Costs of US chip curbs force China’s YMTC into major fundraising round" (in en). Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/4dcaaf91-d77f-4c70-97bf-69ba6a4e94f9. 
  37. ↑ "Chinese chipmaker YMTC sues Micron alleging patent infringement" (in en). Reuters. 13 November 2023. https://www.reuters.com/technology/chinese-chipmaker-ymtc-sues-micron-alleging-patent-infringement-2023-11-13/. 
  38. ↑ Joseph, Marks; Aaron, Schaffer. "The Cybersecurity 202 newsletter". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/12/cybersecurity-202-schools-are-another-prime-ransomware-target/. 
  39. ↑ "McCaul, Hagerty letter to Raimondo re. YMTC" (in en). The Washington Post. 12 July 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/mccaul-hagerty-letter-to-raimondo-re-ymtc/6feb1563-2c74-4d50-a8ff-13c5dd771bb8/. 
  40. ↑ Clark, Douglas (5 April 2022). "Sen. Rubio expresses concerns regarding potential Apple NAND chips purchase". https://homelandprepnews.com/stories/76543-sen-rubio-expresses-concerns-regarding-potential-apple-nand-chips-purchase/. 
  41. ↑ "US lawmakers warn Apple on using Chinese group's chips in new iPhone". Financial Times. 2022-09-09. https://www.ft.com/content/099a409a-49c2-4ed3-a630-87bf6dc8ce15. 
  42. ↑ Sevastopulo, Demetri (2022-09-21). "Bipartisan group urges US blacklist for 'Beijing-directed' chipmaker". Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/173eb5b7-c211-4fa8-af8e-93382ed12836. 
  43. ↑ Swanson, Ana (2022-10-07). "Biden Administration Clamps Down on China's Access to Chip Technology" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/business/economy/biden-chip-technology.html. 
  44. ↑ "US targets China's potential chip stars with new restrictions". Financial Times. 2022-12-21. https://www.ft.com/content/0693edbb-d3d5-4e15-9c33-08f82e6460bc. 
  45. ↑ "US adds 36 Chinese companies to trade blacklist". Financial Times. 2022-12-15. https://www.ft.com/content/2ddb2288-6bae-4672-8bf6-e51d79ca29c3. 

External links



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