Elpida Memory and subsidiary Akita Elpida Memory said Wednesday that they have developed technology to mass-manufacture a four-layer DRAM package just 0.8 millimeters thick that can be used to pack more memory into thinner mobile phones and tablets.
Japanese DRAM maker Elpida Memory on Monday said its factories are operating "at close to normal levels" two weeks after the 9.0-magnitude earthquake in Japan, and that it has "sufficient parts and materials to continue supplying out customers as usual until the end of July."
The devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11 took a tragic toll on human life but also rocked markets this week, sending shares of businesses, including technology vendors, on a rollercoaster ride.
Some Japanese chip makers are starting to pick themselves up and resume operations in the earthquake and tsunami-torn northeast.
Prices of widely used chips, including NAND flash memory and DRAM, have both risen sharply since the 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck and hurled tsunami waves at the northeastern part of Japan.
Because Japan produces more than 40% of the world's NAND flash memory chips -- and 15% of its DRAM -- the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit today could seriously affect worldwide semiconductor supplies, according to research firms.
A day after Japan's biggest earthquake ever caused widespread destruction and as-yet uncounted deaths, Japan's biggest electronics companies are trying to ensure that employees in disaster areas are safe and facilities remain intact.
Thirty-three states, including California, have reached a US$173 million settlement with six DRAM makers alleged to have fixed prices for their products between 1998 and 2002, California Attorney General Edmund "Jerry" Brown Jr. announced.