stocktrademan
10 years ago
$SFUN DD Notes ~ http://www.ddnotesmaker.com/SFUN
bullish
$SFUN recent news/filings
## source: finance.yahoo.com
Wed, 08 Oct 2014 15:50:02 GMT ~ Hertz Partners MyCaddyMaster to Boost Services in Portugal
read full: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/hertz-partners-mycaddymaster-boost-services-155002409.html
*********************************************************
Tue, 07 Oct 2014 16:31:00 GMT ~ Why IFM Investments (CTC) Stock Is Soaring Today
[at TheStreet] - Shares of IFM Investments (CTC) surged Tuesday after its franchisee Century 21 China signed a strategic cooperation agreement with SouFun Holdings (SFUN).
read full: http://www.thestreet.com/story/12905555/1/why-ifm-investments-ctc-stock-is-soaring-today.html?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO
*********************************************************
Tue, 07 Oct 2014 12:20:00 GMT ~ Century 21 China Real Estate Signs Strategic Cooperation Agreements with Leading Online Real Estate Platform SouFun
[PR Newswire] - BEIJING, Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IFM Investments Limited (CTC) ("Century 21 China Real Estate" or the "Company"), a leading comprehensive real estate services provider and the exclusive franchisor for the CENTURY 21® brand in China, today announced that it has entered into strategic cooperation agreements with SouFun Holdings Limited (SFUN) "SouFun"), the leading real estate Internet platform in China. Pursuant to the strategic cooperation agreements: 1) Century 21 China and SouFun will form a mutually preferred strategic partnership across their business lines, including advertising, e-commerce, listings services, internet and real estate financing, and secondary and primary brokerage services;
read full: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/century-21-china-real-estate-122000100.html
*********************************************************
Tue, 07 Oct 2014 12:20:00 GMT ~ SouFun Signed Strategic Cooperation Agreements with China's LEADING real estate franchise company Century 21 China
[PR Newswire] - BEIJING, Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- SouFun Holdings Limited (NYSE: SFUN, "SouFun" or the "Company"), the leading real estate Internet platform in China, today announced that it has entered into strategic cooperation agreements with China's leading real estate franchise company Century 21 China (CTC). Pursuant to the strategic cooperation agreements with Century 21 China, 1) SouFun and Century 21 China will form a mutually preferred strategic partnership across their business lines, including advertising, e-commerce, listing service, internet and real estate financing, secondary and new home agency businesses, etc.;
read full: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/soufun-signed-strategic-cooperation-agreements-122000042.html
*********************************************************
Thu, 25 Sep 2014 18:55:00 GMT ~ 'Craigslist Of China' 58.com Gets Goldman Coverage
read full: http://news.investors.com/092514-718984-goldman-sachs-initiates-wuba-coverage.htm?ven=yahoocp&src=aurlled&ven=yahoo
*********************************************************
$SFUN charts
basic chart ## source: stockcharts.com
basic chart ## source: stockscores.com
big daily chart ## source: stockcharts.com
big weekly chart ## source: stockcharts.com
$SFUN company information
## source: otcmarkets.com
Link: http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SFUN/company-info
Ticker: $SFUN
OTC Market Place: Not Available
CIK code: not found
Company name: SouFun Holdings Ltd.
Incorporated In:
Business Description:
$SFUN share structure
## source: otcmarkets.com
Market Value: Not Available
Shares Outstanding: Not Available
Float: Not Available
Authorized Shares: Not Available
Par Value: No Par Value
$SFUN extra dd links
Company name: SouFun Holdings Ltd.
## STOCK DETAILS ##
After Hours Quote (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/after-hours
Option Chain (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/option-chain
Historical Prices (yahoo.com): http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=SFUN+Historical+Prices
Company Profile (yahoo.com): http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=SFUN+Profile
Industry (yahoo.com): http://finance.yahoo.com/q/in?s=SFUN+Industry
## COMPANY NEWS ##
Market Stream (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/stream
Latest news (otcmarkets.com): http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SFUN/news - http://finance.yahoo.com/q/h?s=SFUN+Headlines
## STOCK ANALYSIS ##
Analyst Research (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/analyst-research
Guru Analysis (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/guru-analysis
Stock Report (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/stock-report
Competitors (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/competitors
Stock Consultant (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/stock-consultant
Stock Comparison (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/stock-comparison
Investopedia (investopedia.com): http://www.investopedia.com/markets/stocks/SFUN/?wa=0
Research Reports (otcmarkets.com): http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SFUN/research
Basic Tech. Analysis (yahoo.com): http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ta?s=SFUN+Basic+Tech.+Analysis
Barchart (barchart.com): http://www.barchart.com/quotes/stocks/SFUN
DTCC (dtcc.com): http://search2.dtcc.com/?q=SouFun+Holdings+Ltd.&x=10&y=8&sp_p=all&sp_f=ISO-8859-1
Spoke company information (spoke.com): http://www.spoke.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=SouFun+Holdings+Ltd.
Corporation WIKI (corporationwiki.com): http://www.corporationwiki.com/search/results?term=SouFun+Holdings+Ltd.&x=0&y=0
## FUNDAMENTALS ##
Call Transcripts (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/call-transcripts
Annual Report (companyspotlight.com): http://www.companyspotlight.com/library/companies/keyword/SFUN
Income Statement (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/financials?query=income-statement
Revenue/EPS (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/revenue-eps
SEC Filings (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/sec-filings
Latest filings (otcmarkets.com): http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SFUN/filings
Latest financials (otcmarkets.com): http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SFUN/financials
Short Interest (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/short-interest
Dividend History (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/dividend-history
RegSho (regsho.com): http://www.regsho.com/tools/symbol_stats.php?sym=SFUN&search=search
OTC Short Report (otcshortreport.com): http://otcshortreport.com/index.php?index=SFUN
Short Sales (otcmarkets.com): http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SFUN/short-sales
Key Statistics (yahoo.com): http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=SFUN+Key+Statistics
Insider Roster (yahoo.com): http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ir?s=SFUN+Insider+Roster
Income Statement (yahoo.com): http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=SFUN
Balance Sheet (yahoo.com): http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bs?s=SFUN
Cash Flow (yahoo.com): http://finance.yahoo.com/q/cf?s=SFUN+Cash+Flow&annual
## HOLDINGS ##
Major holdings (cnbc.com): http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/SFUN/tab/8.1
Insider transactions (yahoo.com): http://finance.yahoo.com/q/it?s=SFUN+Insider+Transactions
Insider transactions (secform4.com): http://www.secform4.com/insider-trading/SFUN.htm
Insider transactions (insidercrow.com): http://www.insidercow.com/history/company.jsp?company=SFUN
Ownership Summary (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/ownership-summary
Institutional Holdings (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/institutional-holdings
Insiders (SEC Form 4) (nasdaq.com): http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/SFUN/insider-trades
Insider Disclosure (otcmarkets.com): http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SFUN/insider-transactions
## SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER VARIOUS SOURCES ##
PST (pennystocktweets.com): http://www.pennystocktweets.com/stocks/profile/SFUN
Market Watch (marketwatch.com): http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/SFUN
Bloomberg (bloomberg.com): http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/SFUN:US
Morningstar (morningstar.com): http://quotes.morningstar.com/stock/s?t=SFUN
Bussinessweek (businessweek.com): http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot_article.asp?ticker=SFUN
$SFUN DD Notes ~ http://www.ddnotesmaker.com/SFUN
Aiming4
17 years ago
Spansion Inc. to Acquire Saifun Semiconductor
October 8, 2007 - 6:30 AM EDT
Spansion Inc. to Acquire Long-term Partner Saifun Semiconductor
Saifun to Operate as Wholly Owned Subsidiary and Drive Spansion's Technology Licensing Business
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Spansion Inc. (Nasdaq: SPSN), the world's largest pure-play provider of Flash memory solutions and Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. (Nasdaq: SFUN), a provider of intellectual property solutions for the non-volatile memory (NVM) market, today announced that they have signed a definitive merger agreement for Spansion Inc. to acquire Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. This transaction consolidates all MirrorBit(R) and NROM IP, design and manufacturing expertise into a single company. As a result, the combination will expand Spansion's product portfolio, and enable Spansion's immediate entry into the technology licensing business, significantly expanding Spansion's market opportunity.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060118/SFW077LOGO)
This transaction allows Spansion to:
-- Consolidate Intellectual Property (IP) complementary to Spansion's
MirrorBit technology
-- Immediately enter the technology licensing business
-- Drive adoption of MirrorBit beyond the NOR segment, into new markets
including NAND, DRAM, and systems on a chip
-- Accelerate and diversify Spansion's product roadmap through the
addition of Saifun's world-class engineering team who are already
familiar with MirrorBit technology
-- Expand operating margins
Under the terms of the agreement, each Saifun shareholder will receive 0.7429 shares of Spansion common stock and approximately $5.05 per share in cash for each share of Saifun common stock. The cash distribution will be funded solely from Saifun's existing cash on hand concurrently or before the closing of the transaction. Based on closing stock prices on October 5, the total consideration values Saifun at $11.26 per share, for a total consideration of $368 million on a fully-diluted basis, or approximately $135 million net of cash acquired and cash distributed to Saifun shareholders. The transaction is subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions that include Israeli court approval, regulatory approvals and the Saifun shareholders' approval, and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008.
'Throughout our long-term partnership with Saifun we have been impressed with the depth of technology expertise, the quality of people and the ingenuity of the Saifun organization and look forward to establishing a team in Israel,' said Bertrand Cambou, president and CEO, Spansion Inc. 'We look forward to collaborating with them to serve Saifun's existing licensees, and enter new markets with a powerful technology licensing strategy and a broadened and diversified product portfolio.'
Since 2002, Spansion has been a licensee of Saifun's NROM intellectual property, which has formed the cornerstone of Spansion's proprietary MirrorBit technology. MirrorBit Technology now represents nearly one fourth of the entire NOR Flash memory segment, and generates revenues at a run rate approaching $2 billion per year. As part of this relationship, Saifun has also provided design services to Spansion, including the successful development of Spansion's MirrorBit Quad and SPI product families. By combining the two companies, Spansion can further accelerate the development of its next generation product roadmap by directly leveraging over 150 MirrorBit technology and design experts and also eliminate its own licensing and royalty payments to Saifun.
'Joining forces with Spansion enables us to take our licensing business to the next level,' said Boaz Eitan, CEO of Saifun Semiconductor. 'By combining Spansion MirrorBit expertise with our successful NROM IP licensing model, we will more rapidly enable our current and future customers to commercialize new generations of Flash memory technology. We will continue to support all of our existing licensees with the same commitment and dedication as before. We are certain that the addition of the Spansion IP and manufacturing know-how will only accelerate all programs.'
The boards of directors of both companies have approved the definitive agreement. Following the close of the transaction, Dr. Boaz Eitan will become a member of Spansion's Board of Directors. Dr. Boaz Eitan, who together with his affiliates, owns approximately 35 percent of Saifun outstanding shares, has entered into a voting agreement with Spansion and agreed to vote all of his shares in favor of the transaction. After the transaction, current Saifun shareholders will hold approximately 15 percent of Spansion's shares.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. served as financial advisor to Spansion and Lehman Brothers served as financial advisor to Saifun. O'Melveny & Myers represented Spansion with Yigal Arnon & Co., as special Israeli counsel and Morrison & Foerster represented Saifun with Eitan-Mehulal Law Group as Israeli counsel.
Investor Conference Call
Spansion will host a conference call today, October 8, 2007, at 5:30 a.m. PT/ 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss the transaction. Interested investors can participate in the conference call by dialing 913.312.1499. A live audio-only web cast of the call will also be made available in the Investor Relations section of the company's web site at www.spansion.com. A replay of the call will be made available on the company's investor relations web site at www.spansion.com following the call.
Cautionary Statement
Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts, including statements regarding the consummation of the transaction, and the timing thereof, the expected benefits of the transaction, the future market for the companies' products, future operating margins, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, including plans with respect to future products and the continued support of Saifun's customers after the closing of the transaction, are forward-looking statements as that item is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties cannot be predicted with accuracy and some might not even be anticipated. Some of the factors that could significantly impact the forward-looking statements in this press release include the ability to obtain regulatory and other approvals of the transaction on the proposed terms and schedule; the risk that the businesses will not be integrated successfully; the risk that any synergies from the transaction may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; disruption from the transaction making it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers, the risk that Saifun's business may not perform as expected, risks related to IP litigation involving either party and other risks, some of which are discussed in the companies' reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the caption Risk Factors and elsewhere. Any forward-looking statement is qualified by reference to these risks and factors. These risks and factors are not exclusive, and the companies undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release except as required by law. Additional information regarding these and other factors is contained in the companies' SEC filings, including, without limitation, Spansion's Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, and its Form 10-Qs for the fiscal quarters ended July 1, 2007 and April 1, 2007, Saifun's Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2006 and Saifun's forms 6-K. The companies' filings are available from the Securities and Exchange Commission or may be obtained on Spansion's website at www.spansion.com and Saifun's website at www.saifun.com, as applicable.
About Spansion
Spansion (Nasdaq: SPSN) is a leading Flash memory solutions provider, dedicated to enabling, storing and protecting digital content in wireless, automotive, networking and consumer electronics applications. Spansion, previously a joint venture of AMD and Fujitsu, is the largest company in the world dedicated exclusively to designing, developing, manufacturing, marketing and selling Flash memory solutions. For more information, visit www.spansion.com.
Spansion(R), the Spansion Logo(R), MirrorBit(R), ORNAND(TM), HD-SIM(TM) and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Spansion LLC. Spansion, the Spansion Logo and MirrorBit are registered in the US and other countries. Other names used are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
About Saifun Semiconductor
Saifun is a provider of intellectual property (IP) solutions for the non- volatile memory (NVM) market. The company's innovative Saifun NROM(R) technology allows semiconductor manufacturers to deliver high performance, reliable products at a lower cost per megabit, with greater storage capacity, using a single process for all NVM applications. Saifun licenses its IP to semiconductor manufacturers who use this technology to develop and manufacture a variety of stand-alone and embedded NVM products. These include Flash memory for the telecommunications, consumer electronic, networking and automotive markets. Among the companies currently licensing Saifun NROM technology are Macronix International, NEC Electronics, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, Sony Corporation, Spansion, and Tower Semiconductor.
SOURCE Spansion Inc.
Source: PR Newswire (October 8, 2007 - 6:30 AM EDT)
midastouch017
18 years ago
SanDisk’s Harari: NAND will prevail
“Does Boaz Eitan think there’s a problem with our technology? He’s wrong.”
Gitit Pincas 29 Jun 06 17:56
One of the questions most asked by people interested in the flash memory industry, as well as many Israeli investors is, “Who is right?” The question refers to the well-publicized argument between two of the most highly admired managers in Israel: M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. (Nasdaq: FLSH) founder, chairman and CEO Dov Moran, and Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. (Nasdaq:SFUN) CEO Dr. Boaz Eitan.
The story so far: Saifun announced NROM Quad technology, which enables the storage of 4 bits of information on each memory cell. Shortly afterwards, M-Systems announced its x4 technology, which enables the storage of 4 bits of information on each flash memory cell. Without getting bogged down in technicalities, we can say that the two things are not the same. M-Systems’s technology is based on 16-level flash, and its main innovation is at the system level. Saifun’s technology requires four-level flash, and its innovation is at the physical level.
Eitan told “Globes”, “I don’t care that people say that this is possible and could happen. I’m telling you - and remember this well - it’s impossible to create such a flash.”
Moran responded, “I don’t think that Boaz knows what happening at every fab in the world, and it will be a pity if in a few months he has to feel uncomfortable about what he said.”
Among other things, Eitan explains that the multi-level cell (MLC) processors that currently enable the storage of two bits per cell will soon face a problem. In his opinion, it will no longer be efficient with 50-nanometer technology, and there will then be a need for technologies like Saifun’s. MLC was launched by SanDisk Corp. (Nasdaq: SNDK), founded and run by chairman and CEO Dr. Eli Harari, an expatriate Israeli. SanDisk is a $10 billion company, and Harari entered the fray today in an exclusive interview with “Globes”.
“Globes”: Who is more correct today? Moran or Eitan?
Harari: “Boaz and Dov are both good friends of mine, and I think that this story is a storm in a teacup. Boaz is an excellent physicist, Dov is an excellent systems man, and they look at the same things from different directions. All options are open: both could be right, both could be wrong, or only one of them could be right. If you want me to bet which version will ultimately be right, I’d pick the M-Systems’s version. I believe in NAND flash, and I believe that it will continue to be the leading technology in the coming years, not Saifun’s NROM.”
Harari said that Eitan’s claim that SanDisk’s MLC won’t be good enough when the market reaches at least 50 nanometers was incorrect. “Boaz is a physicist and I am also a physicist. The difference between us is that I know more about MLC. I explicitly state that we can go down in the direction of 30 nanometers, and even 25 nanometers. It won’t be easy, there are a lot of obstacles on the way, but it will happen in the coming years. Boaz is an expert in NROM, and what he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know, and he could err. I prefer to speak about facts, and they are: we will reach 55 nanometers by the end of the year, and we’ll reach 45 nanometers by 2008. SanDisk is now investing billions of dollars in new plants and fabs intended for precisely these technologies, together with Toshiba. Do you think I’d make investments like these if I thought there was a problem? You don’t invest such amounts and then pray. You have to be sure.
“Moreover, in order for Saifun to succeed in its direction, SanDisk must fail. If, on the basis of my knowledge, I had concluded that NDOM Quad would succeed and our technology would fail, I’d have been the first to get on a plane to Israel and sign a contract with Saifun. But that’s not the case. I greatly admire Boaz, he worked with me for many years, and I wouldn’t dismiss what he says, but I see things on the ground. I know more than he does about how NAND MLC works. It won’t stop anytime soon.”
Harari adds that only in a few years will the facts become clear, and it will be possible to determine where the industry is going. “At the moment, everyone is talking about x4, but it should be remembered that Toshiba and we are the only companies making x2 properly. Samsung is trying, but not really succeeding. In any event, this isn't a life-and-death struggle, and it won’t change the world.”
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on June 29, 2006
Dubi
midastouch017
18 years ago
Hambrecht: Saifun decline is buying opportunity
"By year end both SMIC and Spansion will begin production of Quad bit NROM."
Globes correspondent 29 Jun 06 19:34
WR Hambrecht has released a report recommending flash technology company Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. (Nasdaq:SFUN) as a "Buy", with a price target of $38. This compares with a current stock price of $28.09, which gives the company a market cap of $871 million.
We had the opportunity to spend some time with Saifun's management over the past few days and view the recent pullback in the stock as a buying opportunity for long-term investors," write WR Hambrecht analysts Daniel Amir and Betsy Van Hees.
"We believe that by year end both SMIC and Spansion are to begin initial production of Quad bit NROM which would be a significant step towards validation of the technology, in our view. "
On the war of words between Saifun and M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers (Nasdaq: FLSH) on the feasibility of the latter's four bits per cell flash memory technology, the analysts write, "We believe confusion continues to linger around M-Systems' x4 technology, which we view as a complementary, not competitive, technology to NROM."
Justifying their recommendation, the analysts say, "We continue to like Saifun Semiconductor for the following reasons: (1) winning IP business model which results in 78% GM and provides semiconductor investors a rare opportunity in investing in a company with a strong cash flow which is highly profitable, in our view; (2) strong customer base that includes a number of leading code and data flash players such as Spansion, Infineon, SMIC and Macronix; (3) flash technology leadership as the developers of NROM technology and the opportunity to license to additional data flash customers as floating gate technologies like NAND eventually hit a wall; (4) strong earnings and revenue leverage opportunity in 2007, as the company delivers revenue increases north of 40% and EPS of $1.37, in our estimation, (5) potential additional licensees in the next 12 months offer a favorable risk-reward scenario to inventors, and (6) attractive valuation, with a $38.00 year end price target which is 27x forward 2007E EPS estimate."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on June 29, 2006
Dubi
midastouch017
18 years ago
Saifun’s Boaz Eitan: M-Systems’ x4 claims impossible
M-Systems CEO Dov Moran: It will be a pity if in a few months he’ll have to feel uncomfortable about what he said.
Gitit Pincas 20 Jun 06 19:13
The rivalry between two of Israel’s top technology companies, Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. (Nasdaq:SFUN) and M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. (Nasdaq: FLSH) has gone up a notch. Last month, M-Systems, run by chairman, president and CEO Dov Moran, unveiled its revolutionary x4 technology for storing four memory bits on each flash memory cell. Several months early, Saifun, run by CEO Dr. Boaz Eitan, unveiled its Quad NROM technology, which does the same thing.
The two companies are not direct competitors, and M-Systems explained at the time how the two companies could coexist, and why their markets and targets for the technologies were different. Flash memory is a type of memory processor that guarantees the preservation of information even when the power source is disconnected. It is therefore an excellent solution for battery-operated devices, such as digital cameras, music players and cellular telephones.
Eitan sounds very categorical when talking about M-Systems’ technology. One of the world’s leading physicists in non-volatile memory (NVM), he told “Globes” today in a special interview, “As a physicist, I tell you that to do what M-Systems says it can do requires flash manufacturers to produce a new flash with sixteen layers. I don’t care that people say that this is possible and could happen. I’m telling you - and remember this well - it’s impossible to create such a flash. Period. No tricks or tall tales. Furthermore, if someone knows how to make a 16-level flash, which I reiterate is physically impossible, then we can create technology enabling eight-bit storage in each memory cell. But as I said, it’s impossible.”
Eitan adds that in the event that a flash memory maker were to produce a 16-level flash, M-Systems would be the company that would succeed in cleaning up the information, attaching to it the best system, and using it to create the four-bit memory cell. “It is a very good company. I know this, I was recently a member of its board,” he says. “I’m not a commentator on M-Systems. And I can say that I don’t doubt Dov Moran. I think he truly believes what he says. But physically, there is no such thing. Everyone in the market can believe what they want, but in a year, or two, or four, we’ll have the full picture, and we’ll see who’s right. After all, we can’t both be right, M-Systems and I, can we?”
M-Systems recently announced the establishment of an internal audit committee to examine options grants at the company. At the same time, the company cancelled a planned offering. Moran is not prepared to talk about the matter, but he is willing to respond to Eitan. “I’m pleased to get a certificate of honesty from Boaz Eitan. That’s wonderful. As for his comment that we cannot do what we said we did; it’s a risky statement, and I wouldn’t talk that way. I don’t think that Boaz knows what happening at every fab in the world, and it will be a pity if in a few months he’ll have to feel uncomfortable about what he said. But it’s not my job to advise him. He’s a very smart man who usually knows what he’s doing.”
Moran adds that M-Systems already has working samples, and that the x4 technology exists. “The real question isn't whether it’s possible or not to do what we say, but at what level of reliability we do it and how good it is. Boaz is a physicist. I’m not; I’m a systems man. As such, I say that we what created around the flash is reliable enough and can function superbly. It’s true that there are inherent problems at 16 levels, but the system we built solves them.”
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on June 20, 2006
Dubi
midastouch017
19 years ago
M-Systems, Saifun don't rule out future collaboration
22.5.06 | 08:44 By Omri Cohen
The new quad-bit technology that M-Systems (Nasdaq: FLSH) announced this month attracted vast attention at the CIBC investments conference in Tel Aviv on Sunday. Analysts, institutional and other investors and reporters filled the halls to hear the word from the Israeli company and its rival, another Israeli company, Saifun Semiconductors (Nasdaq: SFUN).
Rivals? The main message the two companies had to deliver was that they aren't rivals at all. In fact, they may collaborate in the future; "These are complementary technologies, not competing ones," says Saifun's chief financial officer, Igal Shany.
His counterpart at M-Systems, Ronit Maor, was more cautious in respect to Saifun, but would say that if Saifun's technology achieves a strong presence in the market, collaboration should not be ruled out.
Less than two weeks ago M-Systems unveiled a breakthrough "impossible" quad-bit technology called 4x, which Maor called the latest and most important technological innovation from the house of M-Systems. It allows storage of 4 bits in each NAND flash memory cell, without need to upgrade production facilities.
Ronit Maor: The result is cheaper production processes at fabs - a savings of 30% - and greater profits.
Cells like that have been created before but their quality was abysmal, she explains: the new M-Systems development, based on an advanced controller, produces satisfactory quality.
Saifun offers another flash technology, NROM, allowing the storage of 2 bits per memory cell. In December it launched the Quad NROM, which also allows storage of 4 bits per flash cell. On the day M-Systems announced its breakthrough Saifun stock tumbled by 7%, prompting analysts to note that investors simply don't realize the technologies do not compete and could in fact complement one another.
Maor says that M-Systems is in negotiations to sell licenses to several NAND flash manufacturers and vows the company will be announcing at least one contract by year-end. The Israeli company would get royalties for each chip made using its technology. Right now Toshiba and Hynix make components for M-Systems.
Maor generally avoided talking about Saifun, but Shany had no such reticence: much of his address was devoted to M-Systems. "The only flash technology in the world that can contain 4 bits per memory cell is ours. M-Systems is not flash technology," he spelled out.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/718522.html
Dubi
midastouch017
19 years ago
Nextest Provides Saifun Semiconductors a Competitive Test Advantage With Magnum for Their Flash Engineering Development
Monday May 15, 9:00 am ET
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nextest Systems Corporation (Nasdaq: NEXT - News), a leading manufacturer of automatic test equipment (ATE) for cost-sensitive semiconductors, announced today the system sale of a Magnum EV to Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. (Nasdaq: SFUN - News). Saifun, a provider of intellectual property (IP) solutions for the non-volatile memory market, purchased the Magnum to provide an even greater level of engineering evaluation and analysis for their SD (Secure Digital) Data flash memory modules. The Magnum EV was recently shipped to Saifun's facility in Netanya, Israel.
The engineering and pre-production analysis is a fundamental process in the development of any semiconductor. Given the recent added complexities and functionalities of Flash devices, the engineering process and software evaluation has gained even greater importance as Flash manufacturers race to market to meet the demands of a price-sensitive, high-volume consumer market.
Saifun chose the Magnum EV because of its extensive engineering package, the Flash Module Applications Package. This combination hardware and software package gives Saifun a competitive advantage by providing an extensive set of analysis and fixturing tools for the engineering development of their SD Data flash modules. Additionally, the devices can be seamlessly integrated into Saifun's subcontract test house where Nextest's Magnums are being utilized for production test. This eliminates the need and costs associated with software re-write and system downtime.
"We selected Nextest because they have a proven record among the fabless and subcontract test houses for providing a highly-parallel and cost-effective test solution. Their focus and commitment to their customers' success has really set them apart in this highly competitive flash market," said Eduardo Maayan, Vice President of Research & Development at Saifun Semiconductors Ltd.
Nextest's Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Tim Moriarty commented, "Nextest is extremely pleased with the success of the Magnum. Flash manufacturers have embraced the entire product line due to its high reliability, production capacity, and the fact that it protects their profits by controlling spiraling test costs. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Saifun in providing compelling test solutions from engineering throughout the critical high-volume production process."
About Saifun Semiconductors Ltd.
Saifun is a provider of intellectual property (IP) solutions for the non-volatile memory (NVM) market. The company's innovative Saifun NROM® technology allows semiconductor manufacturers to deliver high performance, reliable products at a lower cost per megabit, with greater storage capacity, using a single process for all NVM applications. Saifun licenses its IP to semiconductor manufacturers who use this technology to develop and manufacture a variety of stand-alone and embedded NVM products. These include Flash memory for the telecommunications, consumer electronic, networking and automotive markets. Among the companies licensing Saifun NROM are Infineon Technologies, Macronix International, MEI (Panasonic), Sony Corporation, SMIC, Spansion, and Tower Semiconductors. For more information please check out our website: www.saifun.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060515/sfm088.html?.v=46
Dubi