WhereIsAtlas · Semiconductors

Qimonda

The German memory-chip maker that rose quickly in the 2000s and collapsed into insolvency in 2009

Defunct — Spun off from Infineon in 2006, Qimonda became one of the world's leading makers of computer-memory chips — then filed for insolvency in January 2009, a casualty of the global financial crisis and crushing memory-chip price collapse.

Qimonda was created in 2006 when Germany's Infineon Technologies spun off its memory-chip division into a separate, listed company. Based in Munich, it became one of the world's largest producers of DRAM — the memory chips that power computers and consumer electronics — and a flagship of Europe's semiconductor ambitions.

The company's rise was short-lived. The memory-chip market is brutally cyclical, driven by huge capital costs and volatile prices. In late 2008 the global financial crisis, combined with an oversupply of DRAM, pushed memory prices sharply downward, and Qimonda — carrying heavy debt and facing falling revenues — ran out of time.

In January 2009 Qimonda commenced insolvency proceedings, making it one of the most prominent casualties of the semiconductor bust. The company's assets were sold off, its German operations largely liquidated, and the name effectively vanished from the industry.

Quick facts

Founded
2006 (spun off from Infineon)
Based
Munich, Germany
Core product
DRAM memory chips
Peak
One of world's largest DRAM makers
Insolvency
January 2009
Cause
Financial crisis + memory-price collapse + heavy debt

Sources

Related: compaq · toshiba