Grandis (company)

Grandis, Inc. was founded in 2002 by Bill Almon and Yiming Huai. It was backed by venture capital firms such as Sevin Rosen Funds and Matrix Partners to pioneer non-volatile solutions based on spintronics. The solutions it developed were thin-film memory, which included the invention of spin transfer torque - random access memory (STT-RAM).

Grandis Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustrySpin Transfer Torque Random Access Memory (STT MRAM)
Founded2002
HeadquartersMilpitas, California
Key people
Bill Almon (Founder & CEO & President) , Yiming Huai (CTO) , Steve Dominik (Chairman)
ProductsGeneral purpose and specialty thin film memory and technology
Number of employees
~30
Website

History

Grandis, Inc. was founded in Milpitas, CA in 2002 by Bill Almon and Yiming Huai in establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships with important partners such as Hynix and Renesas.

Grandis invented the first spin-transfer torque thin film structures based on magnetic tunnel junctions and quickly became the leader in the STT-RAM space. In 2011, Grandis was acquired by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd and merged into Samsung's memory operations.[1]

Products and technologies

Grandis supplies thin film memory devices. The company is also a licensor of magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM) process and design technology to fabless semiconductor companies, wafer foundries, and integrated device manufacturers. Target applications include storage, telecommunications, mobile devices, and computer networking.

Grandis technology sought to address the problems of write selectivity and speed, low read signal, and thermal stability from which other products in the Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM) industry suffered.

Investors

Grandis's capital investors included Matrix Partners, Sevin Rosen Partners, and Applied Materials Ventures. The acquisition by Samsung resulted in a very successful exit for Grandis's investors.[2]

References
  1. "Samsung Buys Grandis As MRAM Moves Toward Mainstream". Fox Business. 2011-08-01. Retrieved 2011-08-01.
  2. "The Daily Start-Up: Samsung Makes MRAM Push With Grandis Buy". WSJ. 2011-08-02. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
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