TECH NEWS – The South Korean company leaked the company’s 18-nanometer DRAM secrets and got caught…

China’s CXMT is supposed to be the country’s leading memory manufacturer. But it seems to have gained dubious momentum in DRAM process development. Sedaily reports that South Korea’s Central District Court has convicted a former Samsung team leader of leaking trade secrets to CXMT, which may have been a catalyst for the Chinese company’s development…

“A significant part of the indictment is that CXMT illegally obtained information on the 18nm DRAM process from Samsung Electronics, which is a national core technology, and went so far as to disclose, leak and use it. Considering the costs incurred by Samsung Electronics until it succeeded in developing and mass-producing 18nm DRAM products, it is easy to predict that the damages suffered by Samsung Electronics will amount to a huge sum,” the court said.

It is alleged that a Samsung employee leaked key files on the company’s 18nm process to CXMT, and that one person’s greed led China to leak a key process in South Korean semiconductor manufacturing. Samsung has invested massive amounts of money (and time) in mature processes, as chips like 18nm are considered a breakthrough in the industry. Therefore, the leakage of technology to China has become a national security issue for South Korea.

Recently, CXMT has been rumored to be on its way to compete with Samsung in the memory market. Rumors have it that the Chinese company is already developing DDR5 technology and that such products are already available in the domestic market. For example, MSI has started to support CXMT modules, so the company should not be in a weak position to compete with the market leaders. Did the leak give CXMT such a boost?

And the harshest punishment is certainly the death penalty…

Source: WCCFTech