Spin Memory's MRAM Design-Enhancing Endurance Engine Licensed by Arm

Collaboration to extend MRAM Array Write Performance to SRAM scale

FREMONT, Calif. -- November 12, 2018 -- Spin Memory, Inc. (Spin Memory), the leading MRAM developer, today announced it has signed a licensing agreement with Arm, the world’s leading semiconductor IP company. The licensing agreement extends to Spin Memory’s Endurance Engine™ technology and related IP, and governs the terms on which Arm and Spin Memory will work together to create SRAM-class magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM) design solutions based on this proprietary technology.

Under the licensing agreement, Spin Memory will provide Arm its innovative Endurance Engine design architecture to develop a new line of embedded MRAM design IP. This MRAM design IP will address static random-access memory (SRAM) application in SoCs, with denser and lower power solutions than typically achieved with the current 6T SRAM cell-based IP.

“Technologies like AI, 5G, ADAS and IoT demand more power and area-efficient embedded memory than the existing SRAM and eFlash solutions. These requirements are leading the industry to rethink the way chips are developed — including their memory IP content,” said Gus Yeung, VP, GM and Fellow, Physical Design Group, Arm. “Arm’s work with Spin Memory aims to address a key design challenge and enable broader adoption of MRAM design in SoCs.”

“With the challenges currently facing SRAM, we have long seen demand for a new memory that could replace SRAM and suitably support the needs of technologies like AI or IoT,” said Tom Sparkman, CEO of Spin Memory. “Through our collaboration with Arm, our objective is to combine our Endurance Engine with Arm’s IP to provide an MRAM design solution that satisfies the growing need for a denser, lower power SRAM replacement.”

About the Endurance Engine

Spin Memory’s Endurance Engine technology is a breakthrough advancement that solves the previous endurance deficiencies of all other MRAM design solutions, bringing MRAM array performance up to SRAM performance levels. The Endurance Engine is a combination of circuits and design architectures that provide up to six orders of magnitude improvement in endurance while enabling SRAM-like Read and Write speeds by utilizing pMTJ’s stochastic behavior (pMTJ or perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction is the core magnetics technology of MRAM). For example, if a standard MRAM solution offers 10^8 cycles of endurance — typical of today’s commercial offerings — then adding the Endurance Engine technologies will increase the endurance to beyond 10^14 cycles — sufficient for nearly all SRAM and DRAM (dynamic random-access memory) applications. And since the Endurance Engine is wholly implemented using digital circuitry, it can be fabricated in any logic or memory digital process and is designed to work with any pMTJ.

About Spin Memory

Spin Memory (previously Spin Transfer Technologies) is the preeminent MRAM IP supplier. Through collaboration with industry leaders, Spin Memory is transforming the semiconductor industry by solving memory challenges vital for AI, ADAS, 5G, IoT and more. Spin Memory’s disruptive STT-MRAM technologies and products provide SRAM-like speed and endurance that can replace SRAM and ultimately DRAM in both embedded and stand-alone applications. For more information, please visit www.spinmemory.com.

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