Micron Technology

Last modified by Asif Farooqui on 2024/01/02 13:35

Contents

Summary
Recent Developments
Financial Highlights
Company Overview
References

Summary

Micron Technology, Inc. is a big player in the world of memory and storage technology.
Micron has a rich portfolio of high-performance DRAM, NAND and NOR memory and storage products and market through Micron® and Crucial® brands.

Micron Technology (Nasdaq: MU, LSE: 0R2T) is an industry leader in memory and storage solutions. Micron has a rich portfolio of high-performance DRAM, NAND and NOR memory and storage products and market through Micron® and Crucial® brands.

Recent Developments

Micron Unveils Industry-Leading Client SSD¹

December 5, 2023; Micron Technology, Inc. announced it is shipping the Micron 3500 NVMe™ SSD, which leverages its 232-layer NAND to power demanding workloads for business applications, scientific computing, cutting-edge gaming and content creation, pushing the limits of what is possible. The Micron 3500 SSD, available in the M.2 form factor and with capacities up to 2TB, provides a superior user experience over the competition as proven by its best-in-class SPECwpcsm performance, including an up to 71% improvement for product development applications.

Micron First to Enable Ecosystem Partners.²

November 9, 2023; Micron Technology, Inc. demonstrated its industry leadership by announcing its 32Gb monolithic die-based 128GB DDR5 RDIMM memory featuring best-in-class performance of up to 8000 MT/s1 to support data center workloads today and into the future. These high-capacity, high-speed memory modules are engineered to meet the performance and data-handling needs of a wide range of mission-critical applications in data center and cloud environments, including artificial intelligence (AI), in-memory databases (IMDBs) and efficient processing for multithreaded, multicore count general compute workloads. Powered by Micron’s industry-leading 1β (1-beta) technology, the 32Gb DDR5 DRAM die-based 128GB DDR5 RDIMM memory delivers the following enhancements over competitive 3DS through-silicon via (TSV) products.

Crucial Launches Lightning-Fast Gen4 Consumer NVMe SSDs.³

October 31, 2023; Micron Technology, Inc. announced the availability of the Crucial® T500 Gen4 NVMe® SSD as an expansion of its award-winning NVMe solid-state drive (SSD) portfolio. The Crucial T500 SSD is a best-in-class PCIe® 4.0 NVMe drive, which leverages Micron’s advanced 232-layer 3D NAND technology with industry-leading NAND I/O speeds of 2.4 gigabytes per second (GB/s) and is engineered to improve performance for console and PC gamers, photo and video editors and content creators. Available in two options, the T500 SSD with the heatsink is specifically designed for platforms like the PlayStation® 5 (PS5™) and PC gaming rigs, while the version without the heatsink fits well in laptops, desktops and workstations.

Financial Highlights

First Quarter of Fiscal 2024

December 20, 2023; Micron Technology, Inc. announced results for its first quarter of fiscal 2024, which ended November 30, 2023.⁴

Revenue of $4.73 billion versus $4.01 billion for the prior quarter and $4.09 billion for the same period last year
GAAP net loss of $1.23 billion, or $1.12 per diluted share
Non-GAAP net loss of $1.05 billion, or $0.95 per diluted share
Operating cash flow of $1.40 billion versus $249 million for the prior quarter and $943 million for the same period last year.

Investments in capital expenditures, net were $1.73 billion for the first quarter of 2024, which resulted in adjusted free cash flows of negative $333 million for the first quarter of 2024. Micron ended the quarter with cash, marketable investments, and restricted cash of $9.84 billion. On December 20, 2023, Micron’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.115 per share, payable in cash on January 18, 2024, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on January 2, 2024.

Company Overview

Micron Technology is an industry leader in memory and storage solutions. Micron designs, develops and manufactures memory and storage products. Micron has a rich portfolio of high-performance DRAM, NAND and NOR memory and storage products and market through Micron® and Crucial® brands. The company manufacture its products at wholly-owned facilities and also utilize subcontractors for certain manufacturing processes.⁵

Product Technologies

The company's product portfolio of memory and storage solutions, advanced solutions, and storage platforms is based on its high-performance semiconductor memory and storage technologies, including DRAM, NAND, and NOR. The company sell its products into various markets through its business units in numerous forms, including components, modules, SSDs, managed NAND, MCPs, and wafers. The company's system-level solutions, including SSDs and managed NAND, combine NAND, a controller, firmware, and in some cases DRAM.

DRAM

DRAM products are dynamic random access memory semiconductor devices with low latency that provide high-speed data retrieval with a variety of performance characteristics. DRAM products lose content when power is turned off (“volatile”) and are most commonly used in client, cloud server, enterprise, networking, graphics, industrial, and automotive markets. LPDRAM products, which are engineered to meet standards for performance and power consumption, are sold into smartphone and other mobile-device markets (including client markets for Chromebooks and notebook PCs), as well as into the automotive, industrial, consumer, and datacenter markets.

NAND

NAND products are non-volatile, re-writeable semiconductor storage devices that provide high-capacity, low-cost storage with a variety of performance characteristics. NAND is used in SSDs for the enterprise and cloud, client, consumer, and automotive markets and in removable storage markets. Managed NAND is used in smartphones and other mobile devices, and in consumer, automotive, and embedded markets. Low-density NAND is ideal for applications like automotive, surveillance, machine-to-machine, automation, printer, and home networking.

NOR

NOR products are non-volatile, re-writable semiconductor memory devices that provide fast read speeds. NOR is most commonly used for reliable code storage (e.g., boot, application, operating system, and execute-in-place code in an embedded system) and for frequently changing small data storage and is ideal for automotive, industrial, and consumer applications.

Business Segments

Compute and Networking Business Unit (“CNBU”)

CNBU includes memory products and solutions sold into client, cloud server, enterprise, graphics, and networking markets. CNBU reported revenue of $5.71 billion in 2023, $13.69 billion in 2022, and $12.28 billion in 2021. CNBU sales in 2023 consisted primarily of DRAM products produced on 1x, 1y, 1z, and 1α (1-alpha) technology nodes. In 2023, the company achieved several important product qualifications on its industry-leading 1ß (1-beta) DRAM node and are well positioned to ramp manufacturing of CNBU products in 2024.

Mobile Business Unit (“MBU”)

MBU includes memory and storage products sold into the mobile market including discrete NAND, DRAM, and managed NAND products. MBU managed NAND includes embedded multi-media controller (“e.MMC”) and universal flash storage (“UFS”) solutions, each of which combine high-capacity NAND with a high-speed controller and firmware, and eMCP/uMCP products, which combine an e.MMC/UFS solution with LPDRAM. MBU reported revenue of $3.63 billion in 2023, $7.26 billion in 2022, and $7.20 billion in 2021. In 2023, the company achieved key mobile customer qualifications on its 1ß based LPDDR5X and started high-volume revenue shipments to tier-1 OEMs. In addition, the company achieved significant milestones in UFS with the qualification and ramp of a high-capacity uMCP5 featuring 16GB of DRAM and 512GB of NAND. The company also started to sample a new UFS 4.0 product based on its latest 232-layer NAND technology, which enables industry-leading performance for flagship handsets.

Embedded Business Unit (“EBU”)

EBU includes memory and storage products and solutions sold into automotive, industrial, and consumer markets and includes discrete and module DRAM, discrete NAND, managed NAND, SSDs, and NOR. EBU reported revenue of $3.64 billion in 2023, $5.24 billion in 2022, and $4.21 billion in 2021. The embedded market has traditionally been characterized by long life-cycle DRAM and non-volatile products manufactured on mature process technologies. Strong trends of digitization, connectivity, and intelligence in every device, are driving increasing demand in embedded markets for memory and storage products that incorporate leading process technologies. The company's embedded products enable edge devices to store, connect, and transform information in the internet of things (“IoT”) market and are utilized in a diverse set of applications in the automotive, industrial, and consumer markets.

Storage Business Unit (“SBU”)

SBU includes SSDs and component-level solutions sold into enterprise and cloud, client, and consumer storage markets. SBU reported revenue of $2.55 billion in 2023, $4.55 billion in 2022, and $3.97 billion in 2021. In 2023, 176-layer NAND comprised the largest portion of SBU’s NAND bit shipments. In 2023, the company also began shipping client, consumer, and data center SSDs featuring 232-layer NAND technology. It features higher areal density and delivers higher capacity and improved energy efficiency over previous generations of its NAND, to enable best-in-class support of the most data-intensive use cases from client to cloud.

Patents

As of August 31, 2023, the company owned approximately 13,100 active U.S. patents and 6,300 active foreign patents. In addition, Micron has thousands of U.S. and foreign patent applications pending. The company's patents have various terms expiring through 2042.

Manufacturing locations

The company manufacture its products within its own facilities located in Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, the United States, Malaysia, and China, and also utilize subcontractors to perform certain manufacturing processes. The company's products are manufactured on 300mm wafers in facilities that generally operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Semiconductor manufacturing is capital intensive, requiring large investments in sophisticated facilities and equipment. The company's DRAM, NAND, and NOR products share a number of common manufacturing processes.

Boise, Idaho, USA
Hiroshima, Japan
Manassas, Virginia, USA
Muar, Malaysia
Penang, Malaysia
Singapore
Taichung, Taiwan
Taoyuan, Taiwan
Xian, China

Company History

Micron began in 1978 as a four-person semiconductor design company in the basement of a Boise, Idaho, dental office.⁶

Year	Milestone
1978	Micron Technology Is Founded
1980	Micron breaks ground on first fabrication site in Boise, Idaho
1984	Micron introduces world’s smallest 256K DRAM product Micron becomes a publicly traded company on NASDAQ
1987	Micron introduces 1-megabit DRAM product
1994	Micron is named a Fortune 500 company for first time at #402
1996	Crucial Technology is created to market and sell memory upgrades to end-users
1998	Micron becomes one of the largest memory producers in the world with the purchase of Texas Instruments' worldwide memory operations
1999	The Micron Foundation is established to advance STEM education and support communities
2002	Micron acquires Toshiba's commodity DRAM operations at Dominion Semiconductor, LLC, a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation of Japan, located in Manassas, Virginia
2005	Micron and Intel form a NAND joint venture IM Flash Technologies
2006	Micron acquires Lexar Media
2008	Micron and Nanya form DRAM joint venture Inotera Memories
2010	Micron acquires NOR manufacturer Numonyx B.V. from Intel, STMicroelectronics, N.V. and Francisco Partners
2013	Micron acquires Elpida Memory Inc. and Rexchip Electronics Corporation
2015	Micron acquires Tidal Systems Micron acquires Convey Computer Micron acquires Pico Computing
2016	Micron acquires Inotera Memories Micron named one of the most popular Fortune 500 companies to work for based on employee input Micron establishes its Center of Excellence for NAND in Singapore
2017	Micron establishes its Center of Excellence for High-Volume DRAM in Taiwan. Micron establishes Technology Innovation Center of Excellence in Boise Micron named a Top 100 Innovator in Diversity & Inclusion by Mogul
2018	Micron establishes its Center of Excellence for Long-Lifecycle Products in Manassas, Virginia
2019	Micron acquires FWDNXT Micron announces advanced technology DRAM center in Hiroshima, Japan
2022	Micron invests $15 billion in new Idaho fab Micron marks 50,000 patents milestone
2023	Micron samples industry’s first 8-high 24GB HBM3E memory Micron announces new semiconductor assembly and test facility in India Micron launches memory expansion module portfolio to accelerate CXL 2.0 adoption Micron starts construction on leading-edge memory manufacturing fab in Boise

References

Created by Asif Farooqui on 2019/11/26 07:03