⚡ ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China's largest DRAM producer, allegedly began by obtaining a confidential Samsung Process Recipe Plan, detailing around 600 manufacturing steps, instead of developing its own technology from scratch.
👨⚖️ A former Samsung engineer, surnamed Jeon, testified in a South Korean court that CXMT lacked basic lab facilities and intended to acquire Samsung's secrets from its founding. Samsung reportedly invested over $1 billion and five years developing its 18nm memory chip technology.
📈 CXMT has rapidly scaled up production, reaching 720,000 wafers by 2023 and challenging major players like Micron.
⚖️ South Korean prosecutors indicted ten individuals last year for illegally leaking national technology, with engineer Jeon receiving a seven-year prison sentence in April. Samsung may use this evidence to seek import bans from the US International Trade Commission.
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