Applied Materials, Elpida to increase fab productivity

SANTA CLARA, USA: Applied Materials Inc. has signed a five-year contract with Elpida Memory Inc., a leading provider of DRAM chips for mobile, digital consumer product and high-end servers, to utilize Applied’s advanced service capabilities to reduce cost-of-ownership and improve operational efficiency at Elpida’s semiconductor fab.

The contract is part of a collaborative asset management program that includes GE Capital Leasing Corp., a subsidiary of General Electric Company, and Applied’s expertise to increase customer fab asset utilization.

Applied certified customer engineers will work at Elpida’s fabs using the latest diagnostic and monitoring techniques to provide preventive and corrective maintenance.

"We are pleased to be working more closely with the Applied Materials’ service organization to drive down the cost of fab operations," said Jiro Yamamoto, Elpida officer and Hiroshima plant manager. "As we expand our manufacturing capacity, we expect to see advantages in having an integrated lease-service solution provider manage total costs throughout the equipment lifecycle."

"Our combined goal is to help Elpida achieve optimal fab and asset performance," said Manfred Kerschbaum, senior vice president and general manager of Applied Global Services. "This is a significant contract for our services group and highlights the advantages of our lease-service alliance with GE, which offers an integrated solution to help enhance Elpida’s success. The contract adds to the growing momentum of our service business, especially in Asia."