Memory chip company Micron Technology announced on the 16th that it will terminate the development of 3D Xpoint and sell its 3D Xpoint fab in Lehi, Utah, USA. At the same time, Micron said it will increase investment in new memory products that leverage the Compute Express Link™ (CXL™)
3D Xpoint technology was officially launched in 2016. It is a non-volatile storage technology jointly developed by Micron and Intel. It has higher performance and durability than NAND flash memory.
In 2016, the 3D Xpoint memory chip was produced at the Lehi factory in Utah, which was the first factory built by Intel and Micron since they started cooperating in 2006.
In 2019, Micron acquired Intel's shares in the Lehi factory and became the sole owner of the factory. In addition, because Intel was unable to transfer its production line to its factory in Dalian, China in a short period of time, it signed a foundry agreement with Micron for production at the Lehi factory.
Micron mentioned in the announcement that it recognizes that it is not worthwhile to further commercialize 3D Xpoint memory, so it decided to sell its 3D Xpoint fab and plans to reach a sales agreement within 2021. In addition, Micron will retain all intellectual property rights related to 3D Xpoint.
Industry insiders pointed out that now is the most tight period of global chip supply, therefore, the Micron fab may be sold quickly.
