Simtek Corp (SMTK)

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Simtek Announces Contract Award from IBM For 1 Megabit Memory Devices for Use In New System X RAID Servers; Simtek's nvSRAMs Give RAID Systems Instantaneous Re-Start Capability In the Event of System Memory Loss or Power Interruption Conditions

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BusinessWire
08:00 a.m. 09/12/2006


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Sep 12, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Simtek Corporation (SRAM), the world's leading supplier of monolithic nonvolatile static random access memory (nvSRAM) integrated circuits today announced that its 1 Megabit nvSRAM devices have been incorporated by IBM Corporation (IBM) for use in the company's System X servers and that IBM has placed significant production orders for these devices.

Unlike alternative technologies, Simtek's nvSRAMs, STK14CA8 and STK14C88-3, help system users leverage the full benefits of fast static RAMs, including enhanced performance and ease-of-use, coupled with the non-volatile features of FLASH memories.

"There is no other product on the market exactly like it," said Steven Hayes, Simtek's Vice President of Sales. "Our nvSRAM components are capable of providing IBM systems clients' infinite usage, without the need for batteries and without the long-term durability problems associated with other non-volatile memory solutions."

Traditional SRAMs and dynamic random access memory (DRAMs) lose their data when power is turned off or interrupted, but nvSRAMs maintain all necessary information for the RAID product's complete Array Management System and its associated configuration data and parity information so that it doesn't have to be re-created at re-start.

Simtek's flagship 1-megabit and legacy 256-kilobit nvSRAM products are fast becoming one the industry's most popular memory products. They continue to be the number one choice of RAID system manufacturers, and based on marketing research, Simtek's nvSRAM devices are included in more than 70 percent of all mid-range and smaller RAID server systems.

Because nvSRAMs operate at processor speeds, they enable RAID systems to maintain maximum performance as they constantly adjust their address vector tables while move data among the individual array members to optimize I/O balance, maximize I/O rates and assure redundancy. In addition, using the Simtek nvSRAM, can eliminate battery-backed SDRAM from RAID system solutions, creating small form factor motherboard solutions that consist primarily of the integrated RAID/disk controller and nvSRAM.