Russian nanotechnology giant Rusnano and French MRAM chip maker Crocus Technology have selected Kaliningrad based satellite TV system maker General Satellite as their partner in their multimillion dollar joint project to transfer the manufacturing capacities of Crocus Technology to Russia.
The news was reported by Russian daily Kommersant, which received confirmation about the deal from the representatives of the companies involved.
MRAM (Magnetic Random Access Memory) is a promising computer memory technology that could come to dominate the world chip market in the coming years. Rusnano estimates the potential worldwide MRAM market at $40 billion a year.
The construction of the new plant will start in Q1 2012 and should take a year. The proposed amount of initial investment into the new manufacturing operation could total some €130 million.
Crocus Technology’s plans for production in Russia were leaked for the first time in early February and announced officially last May. The French company initially considered a partnership with Russian electronic components maker Angstrem and leading Russian semiconductor manufacturer Mikron with production facilities in Zelenograd in the Moscow region. The reasons for the switch in partners was not mentioned.
