Tie-up with Taiwan Memory difficult: Micron

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Micron Technology Inc. said it would be 'difficult' for the company to tie up with Taiwan Memory Co. after the state-led chipmaker agreed to partner with rival Elpida Memory Inc.

Earlier there were reports that Taiwan Memory Co was looking to forge an alliance with Micron Technology Inc, the largest U.S. memory-chip maker.

“We have some concerns about participating because Micron doesn’t want to 'risk leaking our technology to Elpida',” media reports quoted Mike Sadler, executive vice president of Inotera Memories Inc, Micron’s Taiwan venture, as saying on Monday.

“It’s going to be very difficult for us to work on a parallel technology path with Elpida.”

Taiwan Memory had on April 1 named Tokyo-based Elpida as a technology partner and said it aimed to include Micron in the venture.

Sadler said Micron is still in talks with the Taiwan government for funding to proceed outside of the Taiwan Memory framework.