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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchIn early February 2000, Infineon Technologies agreed to acquire a 20% interest in Enhanced Memory Systems (EMS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ramtron International. In return, EMS gained access to Infineon memory-process technology and a manufacturing commitment covering up to $200 million of EMS products annually. The $200 million figure described annual product capacity—not the price paid for the stake.
What Infineon bought—and what EMS received
The February agreement concerned 20% of EMS, not 20% of Ramtron International. EMS was Ramtron’s specialty-memory subsidiary. The contemporaneous EE Times account did not disclose the amount Infineon paid for its EMS interest.
The transaction joined an equity investment to an operating relationship. EMS received access to Infineon DRAM and embedded-DRAM processes, selected design technology—including an Infineon 256-megabit SDRAM design—and increased manufacturing access. The arrangement was reported as a six-year agreement, with capacity for up to $200 million of EMS products annually. That ceiling should not be read as a cash investment, a guaranteed sales total, or evidence EMS ultimately used all of the capacity.
Why capacity mattered to a fabless memory company
EMS designed memory products but relied on outside manufacturers rather than owning its own wafer fabs. For a fabless company, a design alone does not ensure a product can be made in volume: it also needs a foundry with the right process and available production capacity. Contemporary coverage described supply access as a central part of the deal; see EE Times’ account of the foundry-rights agreement.
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The exchange therefore paired three assets: EMS’s memory designs, Infineon’s process expertise, and access to Infineon manufacturing. That could give EMS a clearer route from design to production without building its own fab. For Infineon, the stake offered a closer relationship with a specialty-memory developer and a potential way to use its manufacturing capabilities for products beyond standard DRAM. These were strategic advantages, not proof of subsequent commercial success.
What EMS was developing
EMS’s low-latency memory approach combined DRAM with SRAM-cache characteristics on one chip. The aim was to offer fast access associated with SRAM while retaining DRAM-oriented density and economics. Contemporary reporting framed the technology as a possible cache substitute or high-performance memory option, not as a universal replacement for SRAM. Electronics Weekly’s contemporary coverage also noted that Infineon had no immediate plan to put EMS technology into its own products.
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The product plans included EDRAM and ESDRAM, embedded-memory applications, and memory aimed at telecommunications and networking. EMS also planned work on an Enhanced SRAM architecture, or ESRAM. A detailed EE Times report described development of 64-megabit EDRAM and ESDRAM products. The reports establish the plans and intended markets, but do not establish later sales, broad adoption, or profitability.
The manufacturing and process roadmap
The February agreement expanded an existing manufacturing relationship rather than starting one from scratch. EMS already had access to Infineon’s 0.35-micron process at its Corbeil-Essonnes facility in France. The reported roadmap then moved to more advanced processes and additional development work:
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| Process or activity | Reported plan |
|---|---|
| 0.35-micron | Existing EMS foundry relationship at Infineon’s Corbeil-Essonnes, France, facility. |
| 0.20-micron DRAM | Initial devices were expected to use this process later in 2000. |
| 0.17-micron DRAM and embedded DRAM | Planned access for later development, including embedded products in 2001. |
| Dresden, Germany | Development of 64-megabit EDRAM and ESDRAM products was associated with Infineon’s Dresden fab. |
The timing and six-year term are as reported in the contemporary EE Times account; they should not be mistaken for evidence that every milestone was met. The 0.20- and 0.17-micron figures are historical process-generation labels. They are not direct equivalents of today’s semiconductor node names.
Why both companies had a reason to agree
For EMS
- More predictable production access: A committed capacity arrangement could reduce the risk of being unable to obtain wafers when demand or manufacturing slots were constrained.
- Advanced process access: Infineon’s DRAM and embedded-DRAM capabilities could support EMS product development without EMS financing and operating its own fab.
- A manufacturing partner with relevant expertise: Pairing EMS designs with Infineon’s process know-how could help move specialty memories toward production.
For Infineon
- Exposure to a differentiated memory design: The minority investment gave Infineon an interest in EMS’s low-latency memory work without giving it control of the subsidiary.
- A deeper fabless partnership: The arrangement tied Infineon’s manufacturing and process assets to a specialty-memory designer.
- Potential access to targeted markets: EMS’s plans focused on networking, telecommunications, and embedded applications, areas that could broaden the range of products made using Infineon capabilities.
Neither side’s rationale proves that the planned products became successful. Process access does not by itself ensure acceptable yields, customer qualification, sufficient demand, or profitable sales.
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How the February agreement differs from later Ramtron deals
Infineon made a separate investment directly in Ramtron in December 2000. That agreement was reported as a $30 million investment—$10 million in cash and $20 million in Infineon stock—for approximately 20% of Ramtron, and included a cross-license involving Ramtron’s FRAM technology. It was distinct from the February investment in EMS and its DRAM-focused foundry arrangement. See EE Times’ report on the later Ramtron investment.
In March 2002, the companies announced an expanded collaboration that included extending committed EMS manufacturing capacity through 2010, according to EE Times. Infineon’s later filings list separate interests in EMS and Ramtron—20.0% and approximately 20.1%, respectively—and say the investments were accounted for under the equity method because Infineon lacked unilateral control. The figures appear in the Infineon 2002 Form 20-F and a SEC-hosted filing.
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What the deal does—and does not—show
The February 2000 transaction is an example of a fabless–foundry partnership built around more than wafer orders: EMS supplied specialty-memory designs, while Infineon supplied process access and manufacturing capacity, alongside a minority equity interest. The contemporaneous reports do not establish the eventual commercial performance of the EMS products. The safest reading is that the agreement secured a strategic manufacturing and technology relationship, not that it guaranteed a market outcome.
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