Toshiba Links With Korea's Samsung On Flash Memory 12/23/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 DEC 23 (NB) -- Toshiba has signed a licensing agreement with Korea's conglomerate Samsung. The agreement calls for Toshiba to provide Samsung with Toshiba's flash memory technologies. Also, the firms have entered into a chip cross-license agreement. Toshiba says the firm will provide Samsung with the technologies on NAND-type 16 megabit flash memory chips. These technologies include chip specifications and logical circuits. With these technologies, Samsung will produce the flash memories and market them sometime in 1994. Samsung will pay a royalty to Toshiba. It is reported that the agreement is for eight years. During this time, Toshiba will provide Samsung with all the technology and information for the flash memory chips, which will be developed by Toshiba. Samsung is a rapidly growing computer chip firm in Korea. The firms hope the agreement will help standardize Toshiba's NAND-type flash memory in the industry. Both firms have also signed a cross-licensing agreement on semiconductor chips. It is expected that both firms will help with each other on future chip technologies. Flash memories are considered by many to be memory medium of the future for computer industry. There are two types: a NAND type and a NOR type. The processing speed of the chip is faster for the NOR type. However, the NAND type has potentially larger data storage capacity. It is the first time Toshiba has entered into a chip agreement with Samsung. Meanwhile, Toshiba has a DRAM agreement with Motorola. The firms have set up a joint venture. (Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921223/Press Contact: Toshiba, +81-3-3457-2100)
