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Phase-Change: Emerging Reality Or Techno-Ponzi Scheme?

In February I did a post musing on whether phase-change memory is ever going to happen, or if it is a sort of Techno-Ponzi scheme for boosting your share price, persuading your management into investing R&D funds, or for wooing VCs.

 

 

After all, with flash, allegedly, running out of scalability, whoever is first to a scalable replacement is going to make a lot of money.

Now I notice Samsung is putting out announcements that it has a 512Mbit phase-change RAM which it will start shipping next month.

 

In view of the fact that Samsung first announced this part in 2006, I asked Samsung's PR if this was really true.

 

The PR's response was a trifle frosty: 'What do you mean by this?'

 

So I sent to the PR a number of links to earlier press releases about this part e.g:  

 

http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=192700709 2006 announcement

 

http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=192700709  A 2006 statement saying it will be in production in 2008.

 

http://www.i4u.com/article6531.html  - also saying mass production in 2008.

 

http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20070226/128173/  - 2007 announcement says shipments have started, mass production pallned2008.

 

Since then: Silence.

 

Have I rumbled Seoul's subtle stratagem? Is there such a thing as a phase-change RAM? Is it all a Techno-Ponzi scheme?

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