Micron Bulletin

The Micron Bulletin

Perspective on Micron developments and the technology industry at large, courtesy of Micron Corporate Affairs.

Mathletes Battle for National Champion Title

Micron is proud to support a team of middle school mathletes from Hillside Junior High School in Boise, Idaho, as they compete in today's MATHCOUNTS® National Competition. The team is coached by Laurie Anderson, Micron K-12 Coordinator, whose group supports math and science education and activities critical to cultivating tomorrow's technology leaders. They will be joining 228 of the nation's most talented middle school mathematicians as they strive to solve complex, multi-step problems to find out who will be the next champion. Tune in to see the mathletes in action at 3:00 p.m. (MST) today.

SIA Issues Wake-up Call to U.S. Policy Makers

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has issued a wake-up call to U.S. policy makers by expressing their concern over a recent report from the World Trade Organization. This report shows that the U.S. has fallen to third place in measure of world's largest exporting economies. Read their press release to learn more about how this new ranking affects the U.S. economy, the semiconductor industry and the urgent action needed -- straight from SIA President George Scalise.

Micron Has the Keys to Automotive Memory

Micron today announced that it is extending its line of automotive memory products to reach an extended temperature range of -40 degrees to +105 degrees Celsius, critical for keeping the memory operating under extreme heat conditions. These new products join Micron’s existing line of automotive memory and storage products that power some of the world’s most popular in-car electronic applications.

As further confirmation to its commitment to the automotive market, Micron today also announced that it is ranked as the number one supplier in automotive DRAM market share, according to a recent report published by Gartner (Semiconductor Industry Worldwide Annual Market Share: Database, March 2008). The ranking notes that Micron captured a 34 percent share in automotive DRAM for 2007, and it was the second straight year that the company was the top-ranked vendor.

When Thinking Energy Efficiency, Don't Forget the Memory

It is estimated that memory consumes approximately 15 percent of power in data center server systems today, a figure which is expected to rise with the increased memory requirements needed for virtualization and multi-core data processors. The trend in energy-efficient technology is especially important for data centers because they are always running – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Until recently, IT and data center managers primarily looked at ways to reduce power consumption with energy efficient processors and power supplies, but they hadn’t looked at the additional savings they can achieve with low-voltage memory.

Addressing this power challenge, Micron last week announced that it is expanding its energy-efficient Aspen Memory module portfolio with the addition of the industry’s first 1 Gb-based DDR3 modules operating at 1.35-volts as well as the industry’s first 2 Gb-based DDR2 modules operating at 1.5-volts; providing the server industry with the lowest voltage DDR2 and DDR3 memory designs for reduced power consumption.

Micron-supported teams advance to robotics championship

Micron mentors will join high school teams from Idaho and Virginia in the 2008 FIRST Robotics national championships in Atlanta, Ga., April 17-19. The "Tater Bots" robot from Dehryl Dennis Professional Technical Center in Idaho and the "Robocats" robot from Battlefield High School in Virginia are two of the 500 entries competing on six fields in the Georgia Dome for the annual engineering competition's grand prize.

The FIRST ("For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology") Robotics competition is a nationwide program of 37,000 students on 1,500 teams. High school students and their volunteer mentors are tasked with building a robot that must compete against other robots in a series of competitive challenges. The program helps students develop a strong work ethic and the skills necessary to pursue a career in engineering, while also doing something students and mentors enjoy. Each year, the Micron Foundation sponsors FIRST Robotics teams as part of its mission to develop programs that promote math, science and engineering education and support activities in the communities where Micron team members live and work.

Micron to Participate in Green Tech Panel, Wednesday April 16

Talking about the innovations in energy-efficient memory, Dean Klein, Micron’s Vice President of Memory System Development will be participating in a “Green Tech” panel at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose on Wednesday, April 16. During the panel, Klein will discuss the trends in green technology design and will highlight Micron’s work in developing energy-efficient memory technology.

Aptina Has Eyes for You – and On You

This week at the International Security Conference (ISC) West in Las Vegas, Aptina is busy touting its CMOS imaging security sensors. Last week the company announced a joint partnership with Texas Instruments to build a security IP network camera reference design, allowing security system designers to offer cameras with improved image quality and functionality at affordable prices.

And this week, the company announced a new high-dynamic range security sensor, which is important for capturing clear images and video in high-contrast lighting conditions. Often, security cameras are placed in uncompromising locations – such as ATMs, bank lobbies and parking facilities – that cast both dark shadows and bright sunlight, creating a difficult environment for clearly capturing an identified scene or target. Aptina’s new sensor featuring HDR allows a camera to capture crisp images and video by separating the bright background from the darker foreground through a controlled exposure method. 

According to Curtis Stith, Director of New Markets for Aptina, “The rapidly growing market for security and surveillance cameras is fueling the need for increasing levels of image quality and functionality at affordable prices.”

Micron Captures Virginia's Top Environmental Award

This week, Micron's Manassas site was honored with the 2008 Governor's Environmental Excellence Award. Micron received the Gold Medal Award and Governor's Flag, the highest level, in the Environmental Program category for its successful implementation of an environmental management system, which ensures best management practices and innovative technologies are deployed throughout the facility. Micron was acknowledged for all its work on water conservation, recycling, waste reduction and community outreach.

Micron to Announce Financials on Wednesday

Micron will announce its second fiscal quarter 2008 financials on Wednesday, April 2. Tune in to the live webcast and conference call at 2:30 p.m. MT that day to learn more about the status of the company.

Micron Appoints New CFO

As reported on in Monday's "Noted" column in The Wall Street Journal, Micron has appointed Ronald C. Foster its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Vice President of Finance. Micron made the official announcement on March 20, and Foster will begin his role at Micron on April 1. Foster has worn the CFO hat at various technology companies, including FormFactor and JDS Uniphase. He also was a director on Micron's board between June 2004 and April 2005.