Industry takes aim at 450mm

Charles Kau, president of DRAM maker Inotera, pointed out that the industry may split on the 450mm issue, between those bigger players that wish to scale up on a faster schedule, and suppliers who don't want to make the move too fast. The big players will aim to increase revenues and profits by transitioning to larger wafers. For smaller companies, it will be a question of survival, since many of them will hardly be able to afford the cost of transition. The danger there is that suppliers of materials and equipment may lose their customers.