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Crossbar is coming soon and it's going to change not only the semi industry, but how the web and many ecosystems are structured. I feel it will change the way almost everything we touch is used from the data centers to hand held devices and everything in the IOT.
Unless one of the major manufacturers is behind this, I doubt it will change much of anything. All the major players are already investing in various types of resistive, spin, etc. memories, and they have manufacturing capability and experience. The website says they have "proven it" in a "commercial fab". I couldn't find details for what fab, what technology node, etc., just a lot vague claims about revolutionizing things.
I'd like to see the best technology succeed, and I'd like to see small players succeed, but I have a feeling the only path that this company will find success in is getting acquired.
TSM is the fab developing the manufacturing process. I feel Apple may be behind this for it would give them a huge edge combined with their ecosystem and they have no lack of money, expertise and just plain muscle. Just my speculation from connecting the dots. This would also explain the secrecy and why TSM was selected.
I like to treat the dots like a ladder diagram and in this one I see a top notch VC, TSM with Morris Chang as a master strategist, Apple with a pile of cash, ecosystem, marketing muscle in need of a serious competitive edge all combined with parties that can operate in stealth mode. A finished prototype was made and TSM took on the task of developing a production model. All three of these parties have a success record in these areas that is far above par and would all reap very rich rewards, including Crossbar. Odds on we will see Crossbar come to market and if so the impact will be profound. When players such as TSM and the top tier VCs are on board, that speaks for itself. I suspect that Apple and AMAT also have a hand in this for the known obvious reasons. Just my random thoughts.
TSMC is an outstanding company with outstanding technology for logic devices. IDM memory manufacturers have an entirely different technology and cost structure. Consider a commodity DRAM or NAND; die area and ASP combined with %GM to determine the cost per wafer. Then do the same for a TSMC produced device. No contest.
