Losing money on every chip they make, DRAM makers in the $28.8 billion highly cyclical computer-memory chip industry must scramble for cover to survive in 2009.
The German government of Saxony may rescue Qimonda with an offer a €150 million loan if Infineon matches it. Taiwan expects to help the country's five major chip makers. Nanya is talking to USA partner Micron, to Taiwan government and to Powerchip. TSMC might buy ProMOS' fabs and shed the company's memory business.
Japan’s Elpida asks Taiwan's Powerchip (Taiwan’s largest DRAM maker) and ProMOS (Taiwan’s most unprofitable maker) to bring all together under a single group company. (including Rexchip, Elpida’s JV with Powerchi). If you add all these makers together, they had 23.9% of global DRAM revenue in Q3-- about equal to market leader Samsung.