Hynix Acquires SSD Controller Company

Hynix is the world’s second largest memory manufacturer. It’s a Korean company that was born in 1993 as Hyundai Electronics, but it merged with Korean conglomerate SK Electronics. The company is well known for producing RAM chips, but it is also one of the big NAND manufacturers in the world.

In the RAM business, only fellow compatriot company Samsung was able to overtake Hynix.

Unlike Hynix, Samsung builds its own NAND controllers, as well as NAND chips and firmware.

While Intel used to build its own SSD NAND controller also, the company is now buying controllers from Marvell, but it also builds its own firmware while having its own NAND fabs.

Toshiba also used to build their own SSD controllers, but now the situation is a little unclear about the Japanese electronics giant.

Out of all big NAND makers, Hynix was the single one not to have its own SSD controller or firmware.

The company recently launched its own line of SSD products, as we already reported here, and now it seems to be gunning for something special.

Therefore, SK Hynix reportedly decided to buy “Link A Media Device” SSD controller company (LAMD) that used to build enterprise storage solutions.

Corsair was the first well known SSD maker that was interested in LAMD products and they even signed an exclusivity contract with LAMD regarding Corsair’s new Neutron SSD products.

As an SSD builder, Corsair might not be that happy with Hynix’s new acquisition, but we believe that the Neutron line of products will be well served by LAMD’s controller.

The cost of the transaction was approximately a quarter of a billion dollars and we surely hope Hynix will be able to put this investment to good use.