Apple buys flashtechnologiebedrijf Anobit for $ 500 million

Apple, the manufacturer of technology for flash memory Anobit acquired for an amount of 500 million dollars. Apple already makes use of technology of the company, which in Isra lwa l is extended with a research centre.

Last week there were already rumors that Apple the Israeli Anobit wanted to take over. Officially nothing has yet been brought out, but Wednesday would be the personnel of the company have been informed about the acquisition, and on Tuesday congratulated the Israeli prime minister, Apple’s first acquisition in the country.

At Anobit employs about two hundred people and a few dozen employees would need to leave, message to the Israeli newspaper Calcalist. In addition to the acquisition would be Apple a research centre to start in Israel. This would be Apple’s first research centre outside the United States.

Anobit develops technology that the lifespan of flash should extend. According to an analysis by Anandtech using the controllers in addition to ecc techniques various other signaalverwerkingstechnologie to the problems with reliability and data retention of nand to deal with. Anobit would with his techniques to 50,000 program/erase cycles for mlc nand for the consumer market is used, while for 3bit-per-cell-variations for smartphones and tablets be used, including a significantly better life is promised.

Especially for this last application can Anobit are important for Apple, because on service life and reliability a must, the cheap 3bit-per-cell nand flash and typical ecc methods may not be sufficient. Apple might be the technology into its soc’s for the iPhone and iPad use, and with the acquisition among other things can prevent that other companies are going to the techniques.

Apple took for the development of soc’s earlier chipontwikkelaar Intrinsity and PA Semi was confiscated, in addition, took an interest of 9.5 percent in gpu-company Imagination Technologies.