UK-based Intrinsic Semiconductor Technologies (Intrinsic) has raised $8.4 million USD to further develop and commercialize its RRAM memory technology. The funding was led by Octopus Ventures, and was supported by existing investors and the UK government.

Intrinsic was spun-off from University College London (UCL) in 2017. The company's main technology is a silicon-oxide based RRAM memory, which is said to be fully air stable and inherently CMOS compatible. The company says its memory devices will be cheaper and easier to produce compared to competitive technologies.

GlobalFoundries announced that it acquired RRAM technology from Renesas Electronics, for use in chips for home and industrial IoT devices and smart mobile devices.

The RRAM technology originated at Dialog Semiconductor, which Renesas acquired. In 2020, Dialog licensed its CBRAM technology to GlobalFoundries. Dialog's RRAM technology, in turn, was developed by Adesto Technologies which was acquired by Dialog in 2020.

Israel-based RRAM developer Weebit Nano announced that it has taped-out (released to manufacturing) demonstration chips integrating its embedded RRAM module in an advanced 22nm FD-SOI (fully depleted silicon on insulator) process technology.

The company says that this is its first tape-out in 22 nm, one of the industry’s most common process nodes, and a geometry where embedded flash is not viable. Weebit worked with its development partners CEA-Leti and CEA-List to successfully scale its ReRAM technology down to 22nm.

Hprobe, developer of testing equipment for magnetic devices, announced a new addition to its product line, the RF Pulse Module, the world's first commercially available testing system to both collect statistics of error rate of the memory unit cell and take a deep look into switching dynamics of resistive memories.

Hprobe's IBEX system

Hprobe's new module supports production of Resistive RAM, an also various MRAM memories. The module can be used as a stand-alone system, and it is also compatible for use with the company's IBEX product line.

Infineon says that its next generation Aurix TC4x microcontrollers will adopt RRAM memory, instead of the traditional embedded flash. The company expects the first samples of such chips to ship to customers before the end of 2023.

Infineo's next-gen Aurix chips will be produced at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), using its 28nm CMOS process. The company says that RRAM memory will be more energy efficient at 28nm compared to the currently-used embedded flash memories. The RRAM memory will also enable higher disturb immunity and it allows for bit-wise writing without need for erase, which allows for superior performance over embedded flash. The cycling endurance and data retention are comparable with flash.

Israel-based RRAM developer Weebit Nano announced that it has received the silicon wafers from SkyWater Technology, with embedded Weebit RRAM. The company says this is an important step as its technology is now proven with standard tools and a mature process flow, which makes it easy for customers to dopt its technology.

The silicon SkyWater RRAM-enabled wafers will be sliced into chips, packaged, and then tested and qualified. The chips, which were manufactured in SkyWater’s 130nm CMOS process, will be used for customer demonstrations, testing and prototyping ahead of commercial orders and volume production, allowing customers to confidently start designing SoCs using these ReRAM modules.

Israel-based RRAM developer Weebit Nano demonstrated (together with its partner, CEA-Leti) how its RRAM can provide an exciting new solution for artificial intelligence applications using spiking neural networks, at the Flash Memory Summit:

Neuromorphic computing makes it possible to emulate the brain’s natural operation. Using RRAM, this emulation is much more efficient than today’s simulations, consuming orders of magnitude less power, to allow sophisticated AI at a fraction of the power consumed by today’s systems. This is because the ReRAM (RRAM) cell has physical and functional similarities to a biological brain synapse.

Israel-based RRAM developer Weebit Nano has taped-out demonstration chips integrating its embedded ReRAM module to SkyWater Technology’s foundry. Weebit signed the agreement with SkyWater in September 2021 to transfer its technology to SkyWater's fab.

This is the first tape-out of Weebit's technology to a production fabrication. The technology will be available on SkyWater’s 130nm CMOS process, which is suitable for applications such as analog, power management, automotive, IoT and medical. Weebit says that its chips are designed with unique patent-pending analog and digital smart circuitry running smart algorithms, thereby significantly enhancing the memory array’s technical parameters

CrossBar announced that its RRAM memory technology is inherently resistant to physical hacking targeting sensitive information and data stored in memory. This could lead to new applications where resistance to reverse engineering and physical attacks are essential requirements of the system.

Cross bar says that its filamentary-based ReRAM has been demonstrated to provide unique levels of security, including strong resistance to attempts to read the memory through invasive physical hacking. Cross further says that MicroNet Solutions (MSI) performed extensive delayering and inspection of CrossBar's ReRAM memory silicon through imaging techniques in an attempt to determine its stored content. After significant evaluation using sophisticated techniques such as measuring electron beam induced current and passive voltage contrast imaging, MSI was unsuccessful in determining the contents of the memory array.

Fujitsu Semiconductor Memory Solution announced the launch of a 12Mbit ReRAM chip, the MB85AS12MT. Fujitsu says that evaluation samples are currently available.

The MB85AS12MT offers a small package size (2mmx3mm) and a low level of average read current (0.15mA). Fujitsu targets applications in wearable devices such as hearing aids and smart watches.