In April of this year Nanochip reported a new venture capital round of $10 million with Intel as the leading investor. Nanochip is developing a new class of ultra-high-capacity MEMS-based storage chips.
These new chips - with bit-densities enabling the storage of tens of gigabytes per chip or the equivalent of many high-definition feature-length videos - use a nano-probe array technology that can potentially go far beyond the expected limits of conventional lithography used in present semiconductor memory chips. We recently spoke with Dr. Gordon Knight, the CEO of the company.
MEMS Investor Journal: How does the current status compare with 2004 when you received $20 million in venture funding?
Gordon Knight: We only received $12 M of the B round investment, not the full $20 M. We worked through some very basic media and overcoat issues during 2005 which led to the new investment by Intel Capital and JK&B Capital for our C round.
MEMS Investor Journal: Are you closer to commercializing your technology?
Gordon Knight: Yes, especially with our media structures and overall chip architecture. However, we are still more than two years away from volume production of our first Nanochips.
MEMS Investor Journal: What are the main challenges that Nanochip is currently working through?
Gordon Knight: We are still working on some of the details of the media and overcoat structure and integration of the MEMS movers and cantilevers with CMOS electronics.
MEMS Investor Journal: For which applications do you think your technology will be commercialized first?
Gordon Knight: Memory storage cards for digital cameras, PDA’s, cell phones, etc. in CF, SD, MMC, MemoryStick, and USB form factors.
MEMS Investor Journal: How does your technology compare to other MEMS based memory approaches such as IBM’ Millepede and Cavendish Kinetics’ Nanomech?
Gordon Knight: We use a different storage media that is very fast with excellent contrast and our chip architecture is quite different from the IBM Millipede. I do not think the Cavendish Kinetic’s approach can ever reach the capacities per chip that a scanning probe array like Nanochip or the Millipede can accomplish.
MEMS Investor Journal: Now that Intel is one of your investors, do you have specific plans to leverage the relationship for R&D purposes?
Gordon Knight: We cannot comment on any possible relationship with Intel.
MEMS Investor Journal: Malaysia’s AKN Technology is one of your investors as well. Have they been partnering with you in non-financial ways as well?
Gordon Knight: AKN Technology owned MEMs Technology Bhd in Singapore when they made the first investment into Nanochip. MEMs Technology Bhd wants to be one of our manufacturing partners. They went public last year on the Malaysian stock exchange.
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Prior to joining Nanochip in 2002 Dr. Knight founded three optical storage companies: Optimem, Inc., Maxoptix Corporation, and TeraStor Corporation where he served in various capacities including Chief Technical Officer, Vice President of Engineering, and President. He also directed the optical storage research activities with Xerox Corporation at Xerox PARC during the 1970’s. Dr. Knight holds a B.S.E.E. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.S.E.E. and Ph.D.E.E. from Stanford University.
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