Everspin Technologies
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Semiconductor |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Chandler, Arizona , United States |
| Products | Toggle MRAM, Spin-transfer torque MRAM (STT-MRAM), nvNITRO Storage Accelerators, Embedded MRAM |
| Website | www |
Everspin Technologies, Inc. is a semiconductor firm publicly listed and based in Chandler, Arizona, United States. The company specializes in the design and production of discrete magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) solutions, including both Toggle MRAM and Spin-Transfer Torque MRAM (STT-MRAM) product lines. Additionally, Everspin licenses embedded MRAM (eMRAM) technology, supports magnetic sensor applications, and offers backend foundry services tailored for eMRAM manufacturing.
MRAM technology uniquely combines the rapid access speeds characteristic of static random-access memory (SRAM) with the non-volatile nature of persistent memory, making it especially suitable for use cases demanding high endurance, reliability, and data preservation without power.
History
The foundation of MRAM technology dates to 1984 with the discovery of the GMR effect by Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg. The concept of spin-transfer torque emerged in 1996, allowing magnetic tunnel junctions to be altered via spin-polarized currents. Shortly thereafter, Motorola commenced research into MRAM, achieving the first magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) in 1998 and developing a 256Kb MRAM test chip by 1999. The Toggle MRAM architecture was patented by Motorola in 2002, culminating in the release of the first commercial 4Mb MRAM device in 2006.
In 2008, Motorola’s semiconductor division was spun off as Freescale Semiconductor, which subsequently separated its MRAM segment to form Everspin Technologies. That same year, Everspin launched ball grid array (BGA) packages supporting densities from 256Kb up to 4Mb. By 2009, the company introduced its inaugural SPI MRAM product line and began delivering embedded MRAM samples through collaboration with GlobalFoundries. Rapid production growth followed; by 2010, Everspin reached sales of one million MRAM units and debuted the industry’s first embedded MRAM at a density of 16Mb.
By 2011, shipments exceeded four million standalone MRAM devices alongside two million embedded versions. In 2012, Everspin unveiled a 64Mb ST-MRAM fabricated using a 90 nm process node. A strategic partnership with GlobalFoundries was established in 2014 to manufacture ST-MRAM on 300mm wafers employing 40 nm and 28 nm technologies.
In 2016, Everspin began sampling the market’s first 256Mb ST-MRAM and worked with GlobalFoundries to develop embedded MRAM at the 22 nm node. The company completed its initial public offering on October 7, 2016. The following year saw expanded ST-MRAM support for DDR3 and DDR4 interfaces targeting FPGA applications compatible with Xilinx UltraScale controllers. Kevin Conley, previously SanDisk’s CTO, joined as CEO and President in 2017, providing strategic direction grounded in enterprise storage expertise.
Everspin accelerated production of its 256Mb STT-MRAM during 2018 and delivered initial customer samples of a 1Gb STT-MRAM by year-end. Mid-2019 marked the commencement of pre-production for the 1Gb STT-MRAM while simultaneously broadening its design-in ecosystem to assist system architects integrating the ST-DDR4 variant into their platforms.
Technology
Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) exploits electron spin properties to produce fast non-volatile memory solutions. By combining magnetic storage elements with silicon-based circuitry, it achieves RAM-like speed alongside Flash memory’s data retention capabilities.
Operating out of its Chandler, Arizona headquarters, Everspin maintains an internal manufacturing line dedicated to magnetic back-end-of-line wafer processing using standard CMOS wafers. Its portfolio includes MRAM products fabricated using process technologies at 180-nm, 130-nm, 40-nm, and 28-nm nodes while adhering to industry-standard packaging formats.
Toggle MRAM
Toggle MRAM technology utilizes electron spin magnetism to deliver robust, high-density non-volatile memory solutions. This memory type integrates a single transistor with a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) cell, ensuring data preservation for up to two decades under temperature conditions ranging from -40°C to 150°C. The MTJ is composed of fixed and free magnetic layers separated by a dielectric tunnel barrier, where resistance changes according to the magnetic alignment. Manufacturing densities span from 128Kb to 16Mb, and these products are available with Parallel and SPI interfaces in various package options including DFN, SOIC, BGA, and TSOP2.
Spin-transfer torque MRAM
Spin-transfer torque MRAM (STT-MRAM) incorporates a perpendicular MTJ that writes data by employing spin-polarized current. Everspin’s STT-MRAM designs deliver extended retention periods, compact cell sizes, elevated density, strong endurance, and energy-efficient operation. Compared to Toggle MRAM, STT-MRAM requires less switching power and supports greater memory densities. These products comply with JEDEC DDR3 and DDR4 interface standards—DDR3 functions as persistent DRAM without refresh cycles, while DDR4 includes self-refresh capabilities during idle states. The 1Gb DDR4-compatible STT-MRAM began sampling in August 2017 and moved into pilot production by June 2019. Since 2014, Everspin has collaborated with GlobalFoundries for MRAM fabrication, progressing from 48nm technology nodes to advanced 12nm platforms by 2020.
nvNITRO Storage Accelerators
Everspin’s nvNITRO series addresses storage acceleration typically handled by NVMe devices and is offered in HHHL (PCIe Gen3 x8) and U.2 form factors. Current capacities reach up to 1GB, with plans for future expansion as MRAM density improves. These accelerators support NVMe 1.1 and block storage protocols, utilizing MRAM technology to eliminate the necessity of battery backup during data transmission. Launched in August 2017 with 256Mb ST-MRAM modules (available in 1GB and 2GB sizes), upcoming models will incorporate 1Gb ST-MRAM currently under customer sampling. SMART Modular Technologies markets nvNITRO products under its brand through a partnership with Everspin, enhancing global distribution and market penetration.
Embedded MRAM
In partnership with GlobalFoundries, Everspin integrates MRAM directly into standard CMOS processes, facilitating seamless embedding within CMOS logic designs. This embedded MRAM provides a non-volatile alternative to embedded flash, DRAM, or SRAM across multiple technology nodes including 65 nm, 40 nm, 28 nm, and the cutting-edge 22FDX (22 nm FD-SOI) platform. This collaboration enriches Everspin’s product offerings while bolstering its competitive position within the semiconductor sector.