Smart Memories Company Introduction
Smart Memories (Wuxi Smart Memories Technologies Co., Ltd) is a world-leading enterprise specializing in new ferroelectric memory (NewFRAM), with its headquarters in Wuxi, a design center in the United States, and a materials R&D center in Shanghai. As the pioneer in NewFRAM commercialization, the company has achieved industry-leading breakthroughs in technology, production and market application, and is positioned as the first echelon of new memory in China.
Core Strengths
1. Industry Leadership
- The world’s first company to mass-produce and ship new ferroelectric memory using High-K materials, and the first in China to commercialize FRAM.
- Realized the commercialization of new memory with the minimum fixed asset investment, and its products have been widely recognized by industrial control, customized embedded and other customers. The sales volume is expected to exceed 10 million pieces in 2023.
2. Technological Advancement
- Developed the world’s first NewFRAM with 1T1C architecture; both embedded and standalone memory have passed reliability verification and meet consumer-grade performance requirements.
- Solved the pain points of traditional FRAM (high cost, low density, production line pollution) through two core breakthroughs: replacing lead-containing PZT materials with self-developed High-K materials, and innovating from planar to 3D storage architecture to greatly improve storage density.
- Holds over 110 invention patent applications and 5 utility model patents, with 56 authorized patents covering core markets and technical fields in China, the US, Taiwan of China, Japan, Europe, etc. (9 US patents, 13 Chinese mainland patents, 9 Taiwan of China patents authorized).
3. Strong Capital & Supply Chain
- Backed by well-known institutional investors including top industry player SCGC, as well as industrial and strategic investors such as Huajin Capital, Dingxin Capital, Yantai DunJiu and LOTUS CAPITAL.
- Established stable supply chain cooperation with leading enterprises: wafer foundry (CR Micro, GTA Semiconductor), assembly house (HUATIAN, HAOBANG).
Product System: NewFRAM
NewFRAM is the core product of Smart Memories, which fills the performance and cost gap of traditional memory, with outstanding cost performance compared with MRAM, RRAM, PCRAM and other emerging memories. It features non-volatility, high endurance, fast read/write speed, and has significant advantages over traditional EEPROM/FLASH (no power failure data loss, overlay write, no charge pump circuit required, etc.).
1. Core Product Forms
- FRAM Particles: Packaged in SOP8, WSON8, DFN8, etc., for system-level data read/write on PCB boards.
- Embedded FRAM IP: Combined with processor core, high-speed bus and other IP modules to form ASIC/MCU for IP-level data read/write.
- KGD (Known Good Die): Sealed with SOC to help customers reduce costs and miniaturize products.
2. Main Standalone Product Specifications
SPI Series (Industrial/Consumer Grade)
Covers 32Kb, 64Kb, 128Kb, 2Mb density, supporting SPI mode0/3, 2.7V~3.6V (partial 2Mb supports 1.8V~3.6V) operating voltage, up to 40MHz fast read, ultra-high endurance (1E8~1E11 R/W) and long data retention (10~20 years). Industrial grade adapts to -40℃~85℃, consumer grade to -25℃~60℃.
I²C Series (Industrial Grade)
Covers 64Kb, 128Kb, 256Kb, 512Kb density, supporting 1.7V~5.5V wide voltage, 1MHz operating frequency, ultra-low power consumption (0.5mA typical working current, 1μA standby current), 1E8~1E11 R/W endurance and 10-year data retention at 85℃, adapting to -40℃~85℃.
3. Product & Process Roadmap
- Technology Nodes: 180nm products have been mass-produced; 110nm products completed functional verification in May 2023 and mass production in December 2023; the company is advancing R&D of 90nm and more advanced nodes.
- Product Expansion: Gradually launch higher-density products (4Mb, 8Mb) and parallel products; 32Kb SPI FRAM is in mass production, 128Kb/2Mb SPI FRAM have passed functional verification and support customer customization.
- Future Planning: Apply advanced manufacturing processes and 12-inch wafers to reduce chip area; realize 3D storage cell transformation to achieve Gb-level single-chip storage capacity.
Market Application
NewFRAM is a basic component for the intelligent interconnection era, widely used from edge to cloud scenarios, with the overall market coverage exceeding 10 billion RMB. Typical application cases include:
- Industrial field: Servo driver, charging pile, power meter, distribution terminal, BMS (Battery Management System)
- Consumer & commercial field: Printing consumables
Development Milestones
- 2018 Nov: FRAM planning and development
- 2021 Jun: SPI 128Kb 2nd-Gen product R&D
- 2022 Feb: SPI 128Kb bulk shipment; Dec: I²C Series product development
- 2023 Feb: Industrial product MP; Dec: 110nm process products mass production
- 2024: Gradual launch of more industrial products
