Micron India : Strongly positioned in the memory and storage solutions space

Micron Technology is an American producer of computer memory and computer data storage solutions. In an interview with tele.net, Rajesh Gupta, director, sales, Micron India, talks about the company’s focus areas, role in the 5G ecosystem, and opportunities and challenges in a post-Covid world…

What role will memory and storage solutions play in a 5G world? How is Micron gearing up for the 5G revolution?

The new era of 5G is here, promising to deliver huge innovations across the entire computing and data landscape. To take full advantage of the benefits of 5G, the industry will require new technical innovations for devices in the home, in the enterprise, in smart cities and beyond.

Micron is in a unique position to accelerate 5G technology innovation across all points of the spectrum – from the cloud to the enterprise, to networking and to the client. Because Micron memory and storage are used end to end, we can help ensure that data moves seamlessly and quickly across the 5G network. We believe that faster access to data will accelerate the transformation of information into real intelligence.

Micron has a rich portfolio of technology products addressing 5G market needs in many different market verticals. In addition, we own and manage our own supply chain, providing greater flexibility and efficiency in delivering these products to a wide range of markets. Micron’s memory and storage solutions are targeted for 5G workloads and applications, and we sell the entire portfolio of DRAM, NAND and 3D XPointTM technology.

What, according to you, will be some of the opportunities and challenges in the post-Covid world?

We have noticed significant shifts in consumer and corporate practices around the world. Consumers are visibly increasing online activity, including e-commerce, gaming and video streaming, all of which have additional data centre capacity requirements.

Trends such as working from home and online education are likely to drive long-term changes in how we think about workforce flexibility and education. Tech-based solutions are quickly helping society adapt and manage the temporary and permanent behavioural shifts stemming from the pandemic.

How does Micron plan to scale up its operations in India over the next couple of years?

India provides Micron with the opportunity to tap into some world-class tech talent. The quick ramp-up of our design and engineering teams is testimony to the talent India has developed in this field. Recently, Micron also announced collaborations with some of the top institutes in the country to foster innovation in technology. The Micron University Research Alliance will focus on building talent in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics  disciplines by reaching out to over 10,000 students. It will advance R&D in 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT) and autonomous driving. We aim to employ approximately 5,000 team members over the next four to five years to strengthen and accelerate critical engineering capabilities at Micron India.

What are the key highlights of your recent alliance with Tata Communications?

Micron and Tata Communications recently announced the launch of a cloud-based embedded SIM to accelerate and simplify the deployment of IoT devices on a global scale. The virtual SIM brings secure cellular connectivity to even the most remote IoT devices, going beyond the limits of close-range and insecure Wi-Fi and the complexities of local operator contracts and roaming fees. In place of a physical SIM card, Micron’s Authenta™ Key Management Service (a silicon-based security-as-a-service platform for edge devices) handles device identity verification via a silicon root-of-trust, using strong cryptographic identity and security features baked natively into flash memory. Authenta also allows late binding of security certificates to devices, freeing customers from vendor lock-in and allowing them to access diverse third-party IoT services, unleashing the full potential of the IoT services ecosystem.

What is your outlook for the semiconductor industry in India?

The post-Covid world will see accelerated digitalisation, which will be built on the platforms and innovations from the semiconductor industry. The Indian semiconductor component market is expected to be worth $32.35 billion by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 10.1 per cent between 2018 and 2025, according to the Indian Electronics and Semiconductor Association.

In the short to medium term, we expect the data centre outlook to remain healthy. Smartphone and consumer end-unit sales are expected to continue to improve, accelerating inventory consumption across the supply chain. Gaming consoles are also expected to drive stronger DRAM and NAND demand. In the longer term, trends such as work-from-home and online education are expected to stay. These trends, along with other emerging technologies such as electric vehicles, smart cities, AI and robotics will spur the consumption of memory and storage.