Novachips Acquires HLNAND Flash Memory Technology

Purchase will Expand Industry-leading Solid-State-Drive Solutions

Seoul, Korea – January 26, 2015 -- Novachips Co., Ltd. today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire HyperLink NAND (HLNAND®) Flash memory technology assets, including 256 HLNAND Flash memory and system patents, from Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc. Novachips plans to integrate the assets into its NAND Flash storage processor portfolio and Flash-based Terabyte-Class Solid-State-Drive (SSD) products. The purchase will further increase the breadth of Novachips' offerings in Flash memory-based storage solutions. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed by the end of January 2015.

HLNAND Flash memory technology is based upon a unique point-to-point ring architecture that outpaces the parallel bus architecture used in most industry standard NAND Flash products. An HLSSD (HyperLink SSD) with a HyperLink interface utilizes a serial, point-to-point, daisy-chain topology to connect up to 255 memory devices in a single memory channel, called a ‘Ring’. Because each HLNAND device is only connected to the next device in the Ring, it is driving just one load. Therefore, maximum operational speed is maintained regardless of the number of devices populated in the Ring.

HLNAND Flash technology is redefining the capacity and performance of SSDs used in the enterprise-class storage systems that are the backbone of big data networks. HLNAND Flash technology is offering true large-capacity, low-power SSD products that provide up to 10x the storage capacity of today’s SSDs. Novachips recently unveiled an HLNAND-powered Flash Storage Processor that provides 16TB (terabytes) capacity, as well as an HLSSD with 8TB capacity in a 2.5” form factor supporting PCIe with NVMe host interface – using a single ASIC SSD controller in 28nm process technology.

The addition of Conversant's HLNAND technology will provide Novachips’ customers access to a high-quality Flash storage solution for a broad set of interfaces and form-factors for enterprise storage applications and industry or consumer applications. Novachips continues to expand its industry-leading portfolio of Flash-based storage solutions so that customers can accelerate their time to market and minimize their business risk.

Novachips, a South Korean company well known for its high performance storage products, has released several high performance SSD controllers. Dubbed NVS3600-series, Novachips SSD controllers for automotive, industrial, servers, and military fields that require performance, reliability and security at most have been in volume production.

In 2014, Novachips became the world’s first company to successfully develop a Quad-combo SSD controller in 28nm process technology for SSDs that is capable of packing 16 terabytes of data. The new SSD controller supports HLNAND Flash that the company jointly developed with Conversant.

About Novachips
Novachips is a leading provider of a broad range of Flash storage processors and storage drives with breakthrough capacity and scalability. Novachips reimagined Flash storage from the inside out and offer the SSD (Solid State Drive) industry’s most advanced capabilities with high storage capacity for enterprise-class storage applications. Novachips products are built upon the company’s unique Flash memory architecture, which significantly outpaces the scalability, performance and reliability of SSDs that use NAND Flash. Founded in 2009, Novachips has offices in Bundang, S. Korea; San Jose, California and Ottawa, Canada.

For more information, please visit http://www.novachips.com