Yangtze Memory Technologies Explained

Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp
Native Name:长江存储科技有限责任公司
Native Name Lang:zh
Type:Partially state-owned enterprise
Industry:Semiconductors
Foundation:[1]
Location:Wuhan, Hubei, China
Area Served:Greater China
Key People:


[2]
Products:
Brands:Xtacking
Zhitai
Num Employees:[3]
Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp
S:长江存储科技有限责任公司
T:長江存儲科技有限責任公司
P:Chángjiāng Cúnchǔ Kējì Yǒuxiànzérèn Gōngsī
Also Known As:YMTC
C2:长江存储
P2:Chángjiāng Cúnchǔ
Order:st

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]

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 state-owned China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund.[5]

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".[6] [7] Xtacking enables YMTC to manufacture the memory and the logic circuits on separate wafers and connect them using plasma activation and thermal annealing. According to YMTC, this enables a higher speed for the production process and increases NAND performance.[8] YMTC's 3D NAND flash memory chips were the first to be domestically mass-produced in China.[9] 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.[10]

In April 2020, YMTC announced that it had developed a 128-layer 1.33 Tb flash memory chip.[11] 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.[12] In September 2020, YMTC unveiled its first line of consumer products under the brand name Zhitai.[13]

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.[14] 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.[15]

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.[16] [17] Bloomberg News reported in March 2022 that Apple was exploring purchasing NAND chips from YMTC to diversify its NAND chip vendors.[18]

In May 2022 PCI-SIG listed two NVMe enterprise SSDs from YMTC as PCIe 4.0 verified.[19] In July 2022, the company's CEO Simon Yang resigned citing personal reasons.[20] [21] Yang remains with the company as deputy chairman.[22]

In August 2022 YMTC unveiled the X3-9070, its first 232-layer 3D NAND chip.[23] [24] In October 2022 Apple announced that it would drop a plan to use YMTC memory chips in its phones amid political pressure.[25] [26] 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. 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.[30] 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.[31] 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.[32] TechInsights reported in October 2023 that YMTC shipped its first 232-layer 3D QLC NAND, setting an industry record of 19.8 Gbit/mm2.[33] [34] 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.[35]

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.[36]

In February 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense designated YMTC as a "military company" that poses national security risks to the United States, barring it from using U.S.-designed chipmaking equipment and supplying products to the U.S. military.[37] Following its designation as a "military company" by the U.S. Department of Defense, YMTC released a statement refuting the allegation, asserting that it has not supplied its technology for military use and is not owned or controlled by the Chinese military. [38]

In March 2024, YMTC announced a breakthrough with its X3-6070 3D QLC NAND chips, achieving the endurance of 3D TLC NAND with 4,000 program/erase cycles.[39]

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.[40] [41]

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.[42] [43] 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.[44] In October 2022, the Biden administration announced 31 Chinese companies, including YMTC, were being added to the Unverified List.[45] On December 15, the Biden administration added YMTC to the Entity List.[46] [47] 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.[48] In January 2024, the United States Department of Defense named YMTC on its list of "Chinese Military Companies Operating in the United States."[49]

On March 3, 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that in 2022, Micron lobbied the U.S. government to block exports to YMTC and spent more on lobbying in the past two years than any prior period.[50]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Yangtze Memory Technologies Co Ltd - Company Profile and News . Bloomberg.com . Bloomberg . en . 2020-11-23 . 2020-12-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201201134131/https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1577197D:CH . live .
  2. News: China's top memory chip maker YMTC replaces CEO amid risks of US sanctions after rumoured Apple deal . Li . Jiaxing . . 1 October 2022 . 23 May 2023 .
  3. Web site: Company Profile - YMTC . www.ymtc.com . YMTC . 24 May 2023.
  4. News: 25 September 2022 . China's top memory chip maker in the crosshairs of US sanctions . en . . 10 November 2022.
  5. News: How China's chip industry defied the coronavirus lockdown . Nikkei Asia . live . 22 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201121161123/https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/The-Big-Story/How-China-s-chip-industry-defied-the-coronavirus-lockdown . 21 November 2020.
  6. News: Flash Memory Summit Announces 2018 Best of Show Award Winners . 24 May 2023 . AP NEWS . 16 December 2021 . en.
  7. Web site: Cutress . Ian . Tallis . Billy . Flash Memory Summit 2018, Yangtze Memory Technology Keynote Live Blog: Unleashing 3D NAND . AnandTech . 24 May 2023.
  8. News: Coughlin . Tom . 2018-08-13 . Some Flash Memory Keynotes . . live . 13 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201115052844/https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomcoughlin/2018/08/13/some-flash-memory-keynotes/?sh=4645d29b3202 . 2020-11-15.
  9. News: Choe . Jeongdong . YMTC is China's First Mass Producer of 3D NAND Flash Memory Chips . TechInsights . 13 November 2020 . 10 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201110064236/https://www.techinsights.com/blog/ymtc-chinas-first-mass-producer-3d-nand-flash-memory-chips . live .
  10. News: Clarke . Peter . China's YMTC takes 3D-NAND to 64 layers . 13 November 2020 . eenewsanalog.com . 2020-09-23 . 2019-10-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191002003740/https://www.eenewsanalog.com/news/chinas-ymtc-takes-3d-nand-64-layers . live .
  11. News: Gkritsi . Eliza . A Chinese firm made a memory chip that can compete with Samsung. What's next? . 23 April 2020 . 13 November 2020 . 9 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201209032322/https://technode.com/2020/04/23/ymtc-memory-chip/ . live .
  12. News: Siu . Han . Jessie . Shen . YMTC sees low yield rates for 128-layer 3D NAND flash . DIGITIMES . 3 November 2021 . en . 3 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211103070117/https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20210824PD210.html . live .
  13. News: Semiconductor Industry: YMTC Starts Selling SSD Products . Businesskorea . en . 17 September 2020 . 23 November 2020 . 1 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201101092149/http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=51963 . live .
  14. News: The Impending Chinese NAND Apocalypse – YMTC 128 Layer NAND is the First Semiconductor Where China is Technologically Competitive. 28 September 2021. 29 March 2022. 7 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220507092752/https://semianalysis.com/the-impending-chinese-nand-apocalypse-ymtc-128-layer-nand-is-the-first-semiconductor-where-china-is-technologically-competitive/. live.
  15. News: Siu . Han . Jessie . Shen . YMTC ready to volume produce 128-layer QLC NAND flash . DIGITIMES . en . 2021-11-03 . 2021-11-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211103070114/https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20210922PD201.html . live .
  16. News: Shilov . Anton . 26 January 2022 . Tsinghua Scraps 3D NAND and DRAM Fabs: May Affect Memory Prices . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220807201409/https://www.tomshardware.com/news/tsinghua-scraps-3d-nand-and-dram-fabs . 7 August 2022 . 15 February 2022 . Tom's Hardware . en.
  17. News: 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 . 10 November 2022.
  18. News: Apple Weighs More Memory Chip Suppliers, Including China . Bloomberg.com . 31 March 2022 . 8 April 2022.
  19. News: Shilov . Anton . 13 May 2022 . YMTC's New In-House Controllers to Power PCIe 4.0 SSDs . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220807201409/https://www.tomshardware.com/news/ymtc-develops-pcie-gen4-ssd-controllers . 7 August 2022 . 15 May 2022 . . en.
  20. News: Manners . David . 2022-09-30 . Yangtze Memory CEO reported to have resigned . 2022-12-18 . . en.
  21. News: CEO of Chinese chipmaker Yangtze Memory steps down . 2022-12-18 . . en-GB.
  22. Web site: 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. 腾讯新闻. Reported personnel changes at YMTC: ex-CEO Yang Shining [Simon] promoted to permanent co-chair, executive chair Chen Nanxiang now acts as CEO.
  23. News: Pires . Francisco . YMTC Announces Xtacking 3.0 for Faster, Denser 3D TLC NAND . 24 May 2023 . Tom's Hardware . 3 August 2022 . en.
  24. News: Horwitz . Josh . 4 August 2022 . China's memory upstart YMTC edges closer to rivals with 232-layer chip . en . . live . 7 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220807020147/https://www.reuters.com/technology/chinas-memory-upstart-ymtc-edges-closer-rivals-with-232-layer-chip-2022-08-04/ . 7 August 2022.
  25. News: 2022-10-17 . Apple freezes plan to use China's YMTC chips amid political pressure . 2022-10-17 . . en-GB.
  26. News: 10 November 2022 . Apple Built Its Empire With China. Now Its Foundation Is Showing Cracks. . . 10 November 2022.
  27. Web site: Disruptive Event - YMTC 232L TLC 3D NAND . www.techinsights.com . TechInsights . 24 May 2023.
  28. News: 2022-12-01 . China's top memory chip maker YMTC on cusp of becoming a global market leader . 2022-12-18 . South China Morning Post . en.
  29. Web site: Shilov . Anton . Ultra-Fast SSDs Coming: 2400 MT/s NAND in Mass Production . Tom's Hardware . 3 April 2023 . en . 10 December 2022.
  30. News: Freedman . Andrew . Chinese Flash Maker Slashes Jobs Amid Sanctions . 24 May 2023 . Tom's Hardware . 14 February 2023 . en.
  31. News: China Plans to Inject $1.9 Billion Into Top Memory Chipmaker . 24 May 2023 . Bloomberg.com . 2 March 2023 . en.
  32. News: Pan . Che . 20 September 2023 . Exclusive: Top Chinese memory chip maker rushes to replace US parts in machinery . en . South China Morning Post . 20 September 2023.
  33. Web site: China Does It Again: A NAND Memory Market First . Techinsights . 2 November 2023.
  34. Web site: Shilov . Anton . China's Blacklisted YMTC Ships World-Leading 232-Layer 3D QLC NAND . Tom's Hardware . 2 November 2023 . en . 31 October 2023.
  35. News: Leng . Cheng . Liu . Qianer . Costs of US chip curbs force China’s YMTC into major fundraising round . 2 November 2023 . Financial Times . 2 November 2023 . en.
  36. News: Chinese chipmaker YMTC sues Micron alleging patent infringement . 13 November 2023 . Reuters . 13 November 2023 . en.
  37. Web site: Shilov . Anton . Pentagon now considers China's 3D NAND maker YMTC a 'military company' — designation bars company from using US-designed chipmaking equipment . Tom's Hardware . 11 March 2024 . en . 2 February 2024.
  38. News: China chip maker YMTC says its tech not for military use after Pentagon list . 11 March 2024 . Reuters . 2024-02-03.
  39. Web site: Shilov . Anton . Chinese flash memory maker claims breakthrough - QLC NAND matches endurance of TLC NAND . Tom's Hardware . 31 March 2024 . en . 29 March 2024.
  40. News: Joseph . Marks . Aaron . Schaffer . The Cybersecurity 202 newsletter . . live . 2022-03-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210713132715/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/12/cybersecurity-202-schools-are-another-prime-ransomware-target/ . 2021-07-13.
  41. News: 12 July 2022 . McCaul, Hagerty letter to Raimondo re. YMTC . en . . live . 22 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220221023122/https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/mccaul-hagerty-letter-to-raimondo-re-ymtc/6feb1563-2c74-4d50-a8ff-13c5dd771bb8/ . 21 February 2022.
  42. News: Clark . Douglas . Sen. Rubio expresses concerns regarding potential Apple NAND chips purchase . Homeland Preparedness News . 8 April 2022 . 5 April 2022 . 5 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220405153451/https://homelandprepnews.com/stories/76543-sen-rubio-expresses-concerns-regarding-potential-apple-nand-chips-purchase/ . live .
  43. News: 2022-09-09 . US lawmakers warn Apple on using Chinese group's chips in new iPhone . . subscription . 2022-09-10.
  44. News: Sevastopulo . Demetri . 2022-09-21 . Bipartisan group urges US blacklist for 'Beijing-directed' chipmaker . . subscription . 2022-09-21.
  45. News: Swanson . Ana . 2022-10-07 . Biden Administration Clamps Down on China's Access to Chip Technology . en-US . . 2022-10-07 . 0362-4331.
  46. News: Alper . Alexandra . 2022-12-15 . Biden blacklists China's YMTC, cracks down on AI chip sector . en . . 2022-12-15.
  47. News: 2022-12-21 . US targets China's potential chip stars with new restrictions . . subscription . 2023-04-03.
  48. News: 2022-12-15 . US adds 36 Chinese companies to trade blacklist . . subscription . 2022-12-17.
  49. News: February 1, 2024 . Pentagon calls out Chinese companies it says are helping Beijing's military . February 1, 2024 . Reuters.
  50. News: Somerville . Aruna Viswanatha and Heather . March 3, 2024 . U.S. Defeat in Micron Trade-Secrets Case Reveals Struggle Countering Beijing . subscription . 31 March 2024 . The Wall Street Journal.

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