The 4DS Memory Limited (ASX: 4DS) share price streaked 32% higher shortly after the market open today.

The ASX tech share shot up following an announcement by the semiconductor memory storage company this morning before settling again in late morning trade.

The ASX tech share is currently trading at 5.1 cents, up 2%. It reached an intraday high of 6.6 cents shortly after the open.

The company went into a trading halt yesterday and also received a price query from the ASX.

What's the news that launched this ASX tech share skywards?

4DS has updated shareholders on its 2023 collaboration with imec this morning.

The company said it has finalised arrangements to extend the collaboration project into mid-2023. The cost will be 903,000 euros.

4DS said manufacturing of the Fourth Platform Lot will commence in Q1 2023. The company expects delivery at the end of Q2 2023.

4DS Memory is a semiconductor development company of non-volatile memory technology.

imec is a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies.

What did management say?

4DS Memory executive chair Dr Wilbert van den Hoek said:

We are extremely pleased to have reached agreement with imec for an extension of our collaboration into 2023.

We will continue to undertake internal activities, the results of which will be inputs to the collaboration during 2023. Furthermore, we are continually improving our testing capability to ensure that we are best placed for a potentially successful outcome.

What has 2022 been like for this ASX tech share?

The 4DS Memory share price is down 42% in 2022.

This performance is on par with the information technology index, which is down 34% year to date.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price is in free fall, down 65% at the time of writing.

The ASX tech share fell 76% lower to 2.2 cents shortly after the market open and is now trading at 3.2 cents.

4DS, which is focused on the development of non-volatile memory technology, went into a trading halt yesterday at its own request. The company said it would release an announcement "regarding a technical update based on the initial analysis of the wafers received".

That announcement was released just after the market open today.

As you can likely guess by the plunging 4DS Memory share price, the wafer analysis wasn't what was hoped for.

Unexpected problems send investors running

The update this morning revealed the initial internal analysis of the company's Third Platform Lot.

For some technical background, the company's stated objective is "to develop an Interface Switching ReRAM specifically developed for Storage Class Memory applications that has DRAM-like read speed, has lower than DRAM cost per bit and is non-volatile".

Commencing in 2021, 4DS Memory undertook several iterations on Non-Platform Lots and Platform Lots. It concluded that the Interface Switching ReRAM displayed characteristics that may be applicable to Storage Class Memory.

The 4DS Memory share price had some big moves up and down during that time as investors digested the commercial potential of the technology.

On 11 April, the company reported that, "The final verification of the efficacy of these process improvements requires electrical testing, which can only be performed on this Third Platform Lot."

Today, 4DS Memory announced that, "Testing of the memory cells used in the imec megabit memory array showed unexpected problems with scaling the memory cell to small dimensions suitable for Storage Class Memory potential applications."

The company is conducting further testing but said the primary goal of its Third Platform Lot can't be successfully completed until this issue is resolved.

Managing director departs

4DS managing director Ken Hurley will leave his position immediately.

In its statement, 4DS said this was a prudent mutual decision to "conserve the Company's existing cash reserves".

The 4DS board said:

Ken was engaged for the specific purpose of leading the Company's commercialization effort, but due to the delays foreshadowed above, the Company believes that his expertise would be more useful to the Company once the Company is further developed in the commercialisation of its technology.

4DS Memory share price snapshot

The 4DS Memory share price was outpacing the benchmark this year, right up until it started trading today.

With today's big losses factored in, 4DS Memory shares are down 63% year-to-date.

This compares to a 2022 loss of 7% posted by the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price is rocketing on Monday. This comes after the memory storage company provided a technical update before market open.

At the time of writing, 4DS Memory shares are swapping hands for 8.6 cents, up 26.47%.

What did 4DS Memory announce?

Investors are buying up 4DS Memory shares this morning after the company revealed the technical achievements for the first quarter of 2022.

According to the release, 4DS Memory has, along with its partner Imec, been working diligently to address a number of technical issues. This relates to the partial failure of the second platform lot, which it announced to the ASX in August 2021.

As such, both companies undertook a memory stack etch mask change and further performed etch process optimisation.

The demonstration successfully eliminated the etch residues that caused electrical shorting of the memory devices in the second platform lot.

These positive results were crucial in allowing the third platform lot utilising Imec's megabit memory platform to restart.

Subsequently, the mask change and process improvements have increased the likelihood that the third platform lot will be successfully processed.

4DS Memory noted that following the completed technical work, manufacturing of the third platform lot has now continued.

The lot is expected to reach the etch step in the next few weeks.

4DS expects to provide a further update to investors by the end of this month.

About the 4DS Memory share price

Since this time last year, 4DS Memory shares have fallen by 54%.

In 2022 alone, the company's share price is down around 7.6%, despite today's eutrophic gain.

4DS Memory presides a market capitalisation of roughly $98.61 million, with approximately 1.45 billion shares on its books.

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Four ASX shares that are falling more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are dropping:

4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS)

The 4DS Memory share price is down 10% to 9 cents. This follows the release of a response to an ASX price query following a sharp rise in its semiconductor company's share price. 4DS revealed that it could not explain the rise, which appears to have deflated whatever optimism drove its shares higher.

Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS)

The Healius share price is down 1.5% to $5.27. This healthcare company's shares have come under a spot of pressure this week after the government promoted the use of rapid antigen tests. Healius has been a big winner from sky high COVID-19 testing volumes over the last 18 months.

Helloworld Travel Ltd (ASX: HLO)

The Helloworld share price is down over 2% to $2.46 despite there being no news out of the travel company. However, prior to today, its shares were up 13% since the start of December. This could have led to some investors taking a bit of profit off the table on Friday.

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

The Humm share price is down 2.5% to 91 cents. This financial services and buy now pay later provider's shares have come under pressure after Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ) quashed speculation that it was looking to acquire it. Earlier this month Humm revealed that it had received a number of takeover enquiries and was willing to engage with these suitors. However, Bank of Queensland doesn't appear to be one of them.

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Shares in semiconductor development company 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) opened the session poorly and are now trading 9% down at 9.1 cents apiece at the time of writing.

Investors are driving down the 4DS Memory share price whilst at the same time 4DS responds to an ASX price query regarding the upward movement of its shares in recent times.

For example, over the past 5 days of trading, the 4DS Memory share price has surged by 60%.

Here are the details of this curious situation.

Why is 4DS plunging today?

The ASX wrote to 4DS yesterday requesting a 'please explain' on the substantial jump in its share price over the past week.

Specifically, the ASX compliance department asked for clarification on "the change in the price of 4DS's securities from $0.065 on 24 December 2021 to an intra-day high of $0.105 at the time of writing today".

This was alongside the "significant increase in the volume of 4DS's securities traded from 29 December 2021 to 30 December 2021".

In response to the ASX query, 4DS Memory said it is not aware of any information concerning it, that has not been announced, that could directly explain recent trading patterns.

The company also confirmed that it is in compliance with all of the ASX listing rules. 4DS Memory said it is not aware of any other explanation regarding the increased share price.

The letter also concerned the volume of 4DS Memory shares traded, which has shot up tremendously. Even today, the volume of 4DS shares exchanging hands is 157% of its 4-week average.

Again, the company stated it is unaware of any reason behind this thickly-traded volume over the past 3 days.

Regardless, investors are pulling out in the final session of the year today, sending the shares south at a rapid pace.

4DS Memory share price summary

In the past 12 months, the 4DS Memory share price has fallen by 29%.

But over the shorter term, the share price has exploded by 84% over the past month.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price is pushing into positive territory on Monday. This comes after the company announced an update to its recent Share Purchase Plan (SSP) offer.

In mid-morning trade, the memory storage company's shares are up 8% to 5.4 cents.

What did 4DS Memory announce to the ASX?

According to its release, 4DS Memory advised it has successfully completed its SSP following "very strong support" from shareholders.

The company received a large number of applications, totalling around $5.934 million. This represents significant interest given the company's target of $2.5 million.

As a result, the board has decided to increase its SPP offer size to $3.5 million and scale back applications.

Eligible investors who applied for the minimum $2,000 amount will be unaffected by the scale back. However, those who applied for more will be subject to a 46.4643% reduction on their applications. This is to achieve the revised SPP target ($3.5 million).

The terms offered were the same as the previous $2.5 million placement that saw domestic and international institutions take part.

The total proceeds of $6 million will be used to progress the development of 4DS' Interface Switching ReRAM technology. In addition, the remaining funds will be allocated towards the maintenance of intellectual property and general working capital.

4DS Memory expects the new shares to be issued and available for trading from tomorrow. Refunds will be credited to shareholder accounts or by cheque, also by tomorrow.

4DS Memory share price summary

During the past 12 months, the 4DS Memory share price has lost about 55%, with year-to-date down almost 60%. The company's shares reached an all-time high of 28 cents in January 2021.

On valuation grounds, 4DS Memory presides a market capitalisation of about $71.46 million, with 1.37 billion shares outstanding.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price is one of the worst performers on the ASX today. This comes after the memory storage company announced its capital raising efforts and came out of the trading halt it had been in since Tuesday.

At the time of writing, 4DS Memory shares are down a sizeable 11.86% to 5.2 cents. In the past month alone, its shares have been hit hard by investors, falling a massive 60%.

What's happening with 4DS Memory?

A catalyst for the steep dive in the 4DS Memory share price today is possibly the fear of an impending share dilution.

According to its release, 4DS Memory has received firm commitments to raise $2.5 million through a share placement.

The offer was presented to both domestic and international institutional investors at an issue price of 4.8 cents apiece. This equates to roughly 52 million new ordinary shares being added to the company's registry.

In addition, 4DS Memory will offer a share purchase plan (SPP) to existing shareholders to raise a further $2.5 million. The SPP will be offered on the same terms as the placement.

The lead manager, Mac Equity Partners International, will also receive 5 million options exercisable at 8 cents each. This will expire within 2 years from the date of issue.

The funds received from the equity raise will be used towards supporting a number of growth initiatives for the company. This includes:

• Research and development costs;
• Working capital; and
• Expenses of the offers such as the 6% lead manager fee.

The closing date of the SPP offer is set for 14 December, with issuance of the shares on 16 December.

About the 4DS Memory share price

The start of 2021 saw the 4DS Memory share price shoot higher until the end of January, which was followed by a sideways channel.

Although, since mid-August, it has been on a continuing decline, posting a 12-month loss of roughly 65%.

4DS Memory has a market capitalisation of around $67.43 million, with more than 1.32 billion shares on its books.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price is frozen again after entering a trading halt yesterday.

Shares in the semiconductor developer have gone back into a halt after having resumed trade earlier this month following a nearly two-month trading suspension.

So why has 4DS Memory jumped back into a trading halt?

What's going on with the 4DS Memory share price?

Planning for a share placement

Investors might be wondering what is going on with the 4DS Memory share price as it sits motionless at 5.9 cents today. Yesterday morning, the company entered the halt as it plans to make an announcement on a proposed capital raising.

According to the release, the proposed raising will be comprised of a placement and share purchase plan. However, until the company provides its pending announcement, there is little more known on the specifics.

The company's last capital raise was successfully conducted across June and July of last year. Back then, 4DS Memory managed to raise $4.5 million via a placement of 100 million shares at 4.5 cents a pop. In addition, an oversubscribed share purchase plan resulted in another $3.1 million of capital.

At the end of 30 September 2021, $2.86 million of cash on hand was held by the ReRAM memory developer.

Furthermore, the expected capital raising comes after the company recently provided a technical update. As a consequence of the details shared in this update, 4DS Memory noted delays to its original timeline. Considering the chipmaker is not yet profitable, this would mean more cash needed to sustain continued development.

What's next?

The trading halt is to remain in place until either the company makes its announcement or Thursday 25 November, whichever comes first.

Once the announcement is made, shareholders will have a clearer idea of how much capital the company is aiming to raise. Investors will also be looking to see at what share price 4DS Memory will attempt to raise the additional funds.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price has fallen off the edge of a cliff on Thursday morning. This comes as the semiconductor developer resumes trade after releasing a technical update.

At the time of writing, 4DS shares are sitting at a sombre 7 cents, down 46.15% from its previous close of 13 cents per share. In the process, the company has clocked in a new 52-week low of 6.9 cents during today's session.

Let's have a look at what has instigated this staggering fall in value.

What's going on with the 4DS Memory share price today?

Investors are flocking to the exit as the 4DS Memory share price craters following its latest technical update. Understandably, spectators would have been nervous after nearly a month of trading suspension. Unfortunately, the nerves were not calmed by the company's latest release.

According to the announcement, a 'potentially modest degradation' in endurance had been identified in its third non-platform lot wafers after carrying out extensive additional testing. This was noted when the wafers were assessed with up to one order of magnitude boost in read speed.

This misstep in what the company had hoped it would deliver at this point in time is likely weighing on the 4DS Memory share price today.

Additionally, the company also pointed out potential degradation in the endurance of the second non-platform lot compared to the results reported on 1 February 2021. Though, the endurance remains to be several orders of magnitude better than that of NAND storage.

In relation to this, 4DS highlighted that this might have been caused by test-related issues because the memory cell did not utilise an access device. An access device is essentially the difference between non-platform and platform lots in 4DS' testing.

Hence, the third platform lots are expected to yield clearer data relating to the endurance of the chips. The next lot of testing will involve the third platform lots using imec access transistors. This should accommodate more precise measurements at higher currents. Although, this evidently has provided reassurance to the 4DS Memory share price.

Delays and renegotiations

4DS is seeking to fabricate more lots in collaboration with imec in early 2022. This will be preceded by a memory stack etch mask change and further etch process optimisation. In turn, the company hopes this will resolve the issues which resulted in the partial failure of the second platform lots. The 'out-of-fab' date is expected to be July 2022.

Furthermore, 4DS has renegotiated its collaboration agreement with imec due to the latest stumble setting back timelines. As a result, the new agreement will see 4DS pay 600,000 euro (~A$934,000) to imec for the first 7 months of 2022.

The new agreement will see its collaboration extended out to the end of 2022. Despite this, the 4DS Memory share price is hemorrhaging today.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price is still frozen in time following the company's extension of voluntary suspension. This will take the number of days the company will have been halted to 24 by 1 November 2021.

Currently, shares in the semiconductor developer are motionless at 13 cents a pop. It has been in this position since 8 October when the company originally entered its halt, pending the release of a technical update.

Waiting game continues

4DS Memory shareholders are anxiously awaiting the release of an announcement that has been a long time coming.

Initially, the trading halt had turned into a voluntary suspension with an 18 October deadline. However, last week, this suspension was further extended to 25 October after the company failed to provide an announcement during the originally allotted timeframe.

Well, 25 October is here and, unfortunately for nervous shareholders, a further suspension extension has come with it. As a result, the 4DS Memory share price will stay frozen for another painstaking week.

Many 4DS investors have shared their speculations on forums offering an array of differing views. However, with no official word from the company, there are no clear insights into what the pending announcement relates to.

The last technical details that investors were given weren't so positive.

On 17 August 2021, 4DS announced details involving its third non-platform wafers and its second platform lot wafers. It highlighted that the second platform wafers had suffered fabrication issues although the update said issues were corrected with the expectation of no induced delays.

What's upcoming for 4DS Memory share price?

At this stage, investors will be holding their collective breath for 1 November. It's unknown whether the company will issue an announcement or whether another extension will ensue. However, that aside, the next notable event for the 4DS Memory share price aside will likely be its annual general meeting (AGM).

The company's AGM is slated for Monday 29 November 2021.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price is pushing higher despite the broader All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) falling today.

At the time of writing, 4DS shares are up 3.70% to 14 cents, while the All Ords is down 1.42% to 7,473.5 points.

Let's take a closer look at what 4DS Memory updated the ASX with this morning.

4DS Memory furthers patent protection

Investors appear excited by the company's latest update, sending 4DS Memory shares higher.

According to its release, 4DS Memory advised that it has been granted an additional patent to add to its portfolio. Approved by the United States Patent & Trade Mark Office, this brings the total amount of granted patents to 32 within the United States.

4DS Memory stated that the new patent is titled, 'Conductive Amorphous Oxide Contact Layers' (patent number 11,133,464).

The company noted that all its patents and applications are developed in-house and are wholly-owned. This gives 4DS peace of mind away from royalty and licencing commitments.

4DS Memory CEO and managing director, Dr Guido Arnout commented:

The granting of patents is an extremely important strategy for the company to protect its unique Interface Switching ReRAM in the overall ReRAM space.

What does 4DS do?

4DS Memory is a semiconductor company that develops resistive random-access memory (ReRAM). With research facilities in Silicon Valley, the start-up tech seeks to commercialise its product to become a replacement for more traditional Flash memory storage.

The company is developing breakthrough storage memory that could be used in advanced applications in the near future.

It is estimated that the total addressable market for the memory industry is around $40 billion.

About the 4DS share price

It has been a great 12 months for 4DS Memory investors, with its share price jumping by more than 100%. Year-to-date, however, is currently registering a gain of just under 10%.

The company's shares reached a multi-year high of 28 cents in January 2021, before treading lower after some profit-taking.

Based on today's price, 4DS Memory commands a market capitalisation of roughly $178.5 million, with approximately 1.3 billion shares outstanding.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price is in the green today despite no news having been released by the company.

In fact, the market hasn't heard news from 4DS Memory this week. The last time the company released an update was last Thursday when it announced its earnings for financial year 2021.

Right now, the 4DS Memory share price is 15 cents, 7.14% higher than it was at yesterday's close.

Let's take a look at what might be boosting the memory technology developers shares today.

What's driving 4DS on the ASX?

The 4DS Memory share price is in the green on the ASX today.

While the company hasn't announced any news, many of its S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) peers are also having a great day's trade. The index has gained 0.6% on Thursday.

4DS Memory's stock is the index's third best performer today. Though, it has been bested by the share prices of Bill Identity Ltd (ASX: BID) and Silex Systems Ltd (ASX: SLX). They've gained 12.6% and 12.4% respectively.

4DS Memory's stock could also be recovering from a brutal fall it took this week.

Between 4DS Memory releasing its financial year results and yesterday's close, the company's share price slid 17%.

Additionally, the company's stock crashed 18% on the back of a technical update posted on 17 August.

The two major drops have meant 4DS Memory's stock is still 31% lower than it was this time last month.

4DS Memory share price snapshot

The 4DS Memory share price has suffered through a disastrous month.

It is now only 7% higher than it was at the start of 2021. Luckily, it has still gained 200% since this time last year.

At its current share price, the company has a market capitalisation of around $198 million, with approximately 1.3 billion shares outstanding.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price has slipped into the red on Thursday as the memory technology company reported its FY21 earnings.

4DS Memory shares were exchanging hands at 16 cents apiece at market close, a 5.88% drop.

What's sinking the 4DS Memory share price today?

Major points from the company's FY21 results today included:

• Operating loss ballooned to $6.64 million from $5.45 million the year prior
• Loss before income tax (LBIT) of $6.66 million, a 20% increase into the red from FY20
• Total comprehensive loss for the year increase 22% year on year to $6.63 million after foreign currency effect
• Research and development (R&D) costs increased to $4.2 million from $3.78 million last year
• Other income came in at $213,000, up from $33,511 a year ago.

What happened in FY21 for 4DS Memory?

4DS Memory made "significant progress" in the development of its Interface Switching ReRam technology this year. It also extended two collaborations between Imec and Western Digital Corporation for another 12 months.

In addition, the company was granted 8 more US patents, bringing the total to 31, specific to the company's interface switching ReRam technology.

4DS Memory's second "non-platform lot" was manufactured by Imec and testing was completed by February this year. The data showed that the device was functional and "does what it says on the tin" to an effect.

Furthermore, the company reported that produced second platform lots had arrived at 4DS Memory's facility in Fremont for testing.

4DS Memory recognised other income of $213,000 in FY21, whilst R&D costs increased by about 11% to $4.2 million.

The company's operating loss ballooned from $5.45 million to $6.64 million over the year, which ultimately blew the LBIT out by 20% from FY20 to $6.66 million.

Consequently, 4DS Memory recognised a total comprehensive loss for the year of $6.63 million, a 22% year on year increase in its after-tax loss.

What did management say?

Regarding the impacts of COVID-19 on its business, 4DS Memory noted in the release:

COVID-19 related restrictions did not significantly affect the company's operations. However, for the safety of all employees, only a limited number of employees were allowed be at the Fremont facilities at the same time. Productivity was maintained by scheduling on-site tasks over longer days including weekends and holidays.

Touching on the company's second platform lot, it added:

The results of the analysis of the second platform lot and the third non-platform lot bring 4DS and its partners closer to realising their strategic objective of commercialising the company's technology.

What's next for 4DS Memory?

4Ds Memory advised it was finalising the production date of its third platform lot. This is expected to start late in the third quarter of 2021.

The company is set on advancing its third platform lot while strengthening its joint collaboration with Western Digital's subsidiary HGST, which is a "global storage leader".

Also, 4DS now will continue building its development agreement with Imec, to continue pioneering its "non-volatile memory technology".

The 4DS Memory share price is up 28% year to date, thereby beating the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO)'s gain of 14% since January 1.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price is plummeting after the company exited a trading halt and released a technical update this morning.

While much of the update was positive, the market might be reacting to news the company's second platform lots experienced a technical issue during fabrication.

Right now, the 4DS share price is 17 cents, 20.93% lower than its previous closing price.

Let's take a closer look at today's news from the memory technology development company.

What's weighing on the 4DS share price?

The 4DS share price is in the red after the company announced news of its third non-platform wafers and its second platform lot wafers.

While there was plenty of good news within 4DS' release, the market might be focusing on some technical issues faced by its second platform lot wafers.

Second platform lot wafers

According to 4DS, all of its second platform lot wafers had fabrication issues. However, the company stated the issues can be corrected and won't cause delays.  

Additionally, despite the flaws, 4DS was able to use the wafers to demonstrate its memory cell's scalability to the smallest cell geometries supported on imec's memory platform.

4DS was also able to demonstrate memory cell switching using an access device ­– a critical step for producing a megabit memory array.

Third non-platform wafers

The 4DS share price is sliding despite the company having received the results of its third non-platform wafers.

The third non-platform wafers have continued to tune the parameters of 4DS' Interface Switching ReRAM technology.

The company is working to achieve compatibility with state-of-the-art processes currently used in high volume memory production.

4DS was also able to repeat the second non-platform lot's key memory characteristics results using its third non-platform wafers. The key memory characteristics included speed, endurance, and retention.

For the first time, 4DS was able to demonstrate the fabrication of fully crystalline PCMO at temperatures that can work with the processes run in high-volume memory DRAM and NAND factories.

4DS has also found its PCMO material reduces the cell on-resistance by an order of magnitude. This means 4DS has significantly improved the product's read speed.

4DS plans to start engaging its third platform lot utilising imec's megabit memory platform during the coming quarter.

Joint development agreement update

Finally, computer manufacturer Western Digital's subsidiary, HGST, has requested a review of the results from 4DS' two recent wafer lots. 4DS has a joint development agreement with HGST.

The company expects to have a meeting with HGST as soon as possible.

4DS share price snapshot

Despite today's dip, the 4DS share price has gained 40% year to date. It is also 280% higher than it was this time last year.

The company has a market capitalisation of around $284 million, with approximately 1.3 billion shares outstanding.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price isn't going anywhere on Monday. This comes after the memory storage company requested a trading halt before market open.

As such, 4DS Memory shares remain frozen at 21.5 cents apiece. It's worth noting that the company's shares have gained almost 40% over the past month.

Why are 4DS Memory shares in a trading halt?

The 4DS Memory share price was placed in a trading halt this morning pending an important market announcement.

In the brief description provided, the company revealed it will release the results on both sets of its wafers. This relates to the Third Non-Platform wafers and the Second Platform Lot wafers.

The analysis data of the Third Non-Platform wafers and Second Platform Lot wafers will potentially allow 4DS Memory to fabricate the wafers into read and write selected bits and bytes. In turn, the end process will produce a fully functional megabit memory chip.

4DS Memory is developing the next generation of system memory chips by combining the best of both DRAM and NAND silicon storage.

The trading halt is expected to be lifted on Wednesday 18 August or by release of the company's announcement – whichever comes earlier.

No doubt, investors will be keeping a close watch on 4DS Memory's latest update. This will give a better understanding of where the company is at in terms of developing its megabit memory chips.

What does 4DS Memory do?

4DS Memory is a semiconductor company that develops resistive random-access memory (ReRAM). With research facilities in Silicon Valley, the start-up tech seeks to commercialise its product to become a replacement for more traditional Flash memory storage.

It is estimated that the total addressable market for the memory industry is around $40 billion.

About the 4DS Memory share price

Since this time last year, 4DS Memory shares have sharply risen by close to 380%. In 2021 alone, the company's share price is up 70%, reflecting positive investor sentiment.

4DS Memory presides a market capitalisation of roughly $284 million, with approximately 1.3 billion shares on its books.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price is partaking in the broader market rally after it released its quarterly update.

Shares in the computer chipmaker jumped 3.5% to $0.15 during lunch time trade and is outperforming the IT sector.

In contrast, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO) gained 0.9% on the back of gains on Wall Street as worries about COVID-19 lockdowns receded.

4DS share price jumps on research update

Management announced it received two lots of wafers from its research partner imec. First is the Second Platform Lot of 18 wafers, while the other was the Third Non-Platform Lot consisting of 23 wafers.

It's a good thing that imec had spare capacity at its state-of-the-art production facility to producer the Non-Platform Lot.

This will ensure 4DS can continue to build an extensive data set around the process parameters for its Interface Switching ReRAM technology.

Key results next month to watch for

"As expected, the analysis of both sets of wafers is extremely time-consuming due to the large amount of different test structures available on these two types of Lots," said 4DS.

"The Company is pleased to advise the results of both sets of wafers will be released by the middle of August 2021 barring any unforeseen equipment or other technical difficulties."

4DS is in the process of developing the next generation of system memory chips by combining the best of both DRAM and NAND silicon storage.

Its memory chips have the potential to improve system memory used in mobile phones to laptop computers.

4DS share price outperforming its peers

ASX technology shares have been hot property over the past year or so, but the 4DS share price has stayed under the radar for most.

This is despite the fact that the 4DS share price has increased by three-fold over the past year.

In comparison, the Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price and Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) share price have "only" jumped by 40% plus each.

Links to Western Digital

It helps that one of the world's leading hard drive makers, Western Digital Corp (NASDAQ: WDC) is backing 4DS.

The ASX small cap tech company signed a joint development agreement with Western Digital's subsidiary HGST. This agreement was renewed in May this year.

More patents granted

Further, 4DS announced in the quarter that it was granted additional US patents for its technology. This brings its portfolio of US patents to 31. All of the intellectual property is fully owned by 4DS.

"The Company has also filed two (2) USA patent applications to protect its stream of innovations and to strengthen its intellectual property portfolio in the field of Interface Switching ReRAM for Storage Class Memory," said the company.

4DS has $4.3 million in the bank as of 30 June this year to fund its research and development program.

The post Why the 4DS (ASX:4DS) share price is rallying today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Shares in 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) are in the green today after the company released news it has received 2 units of its wafer memory technology.

At the time of writing, the 4DS share price is up 3.45% trading at 15 cents after hitting an intraday high of 16 cents apiece earlier today.

This makes it one of the top performers of the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) today. In contrast, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is down 1.9% today.

Let's take a closer look at today's news from the memory technology developer.

Quick refresher

4DS is working to create more functional, less expensive high-density, high-volume mobile and cloud memory storage.

This storage is needed in modern computers and mobile technology.

4DS has partnered with Belgium-based Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec) to produce a megabit memory chip to run its mobile and cloud storage technology, named Interface Switching ReRAM.

4DS says it's Interface Switching ReRAM will be the "next generation" of gigabyte mobile and cloud storage.

Currently, 4DS and imec are working together to develop wafers needed in the megabit memory chip.

Wafers arrive

According to 4DS' release, the company has received 2 sets of wafers from imec.

One set is 4DS' Second Platform Lot which, if successful, the company believes will bring it closer to completing a corporate transaction by the end of 2021.

The company now has 18 wafers from its Second Platform Lot at its facility in Fremont.

Additionally, the company used spare capacity on imec's production equipment to produce a Third Non-Platform Lot of 23 wafers.

According to 4DS, the Third Non-Platform Lot will ensure the company can continue to build data sets for its Interface Switching ReRAM technology..

4DS is now conducting analysis of the wafers. It will update the market on the outcomes of the analysis in time.

4DS share price snapshot

2021 has been a good year for the 4DS share price, which has gained 7.2% year to date.

4DS shares have also gained 200% since this time last year.

The company has a market capitalisation of around $191 million, with approximately 1 billion shares outstanding.

The post The 4DS (ASX:4DS) share price is soaring today. Here's why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price was rising against the tide of today's negative ASX market trend. This followed the memory storage provider's announcement of a renewed partnership agreement.

By the market's close, 4DS Memory shares were trading at 14 cents a pop, up 7.7% for the day. In comparison, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) ended the day sitting at 7,194 points, down 1.2%.

What does 4DS do?

4DS Memory is a semiconductor company that develops resistive random-access memory (ReRAM). With research facilities in Silicon Valley, the start-up tech is focused on commercialising its product to become a replacement for more traditional Flash memory storage.

Renewed agreement

Investors were buying up 4DS Memory shares today after the company announced a positive update to the ASX.

According to its release, 4DS Memory has signed a renewed joint development agreement (JDA) with Western Digital Corporation subsidiary, HGST. The partnership will see both companies work together for another 12 months, marking 8 consecutive years of partnership.

4DS Memory is currently developing its interface switching ReRAM technology with HGST as well as digital innovation hub, IMEC.

CEO and managing director of 4DS Memory Dr Guido Arnout welcomed the renewal, saying:

We are very pleased that Western Digital and HGST have renewed our joint development agreement following a review of our significant progress during the past twelve months. This progress includes the Second Platform Lot currently in the final fabrication stage at imec that we will receive in early June for analysis.

HGST signed the agreement well ahead of its initial due date of 30 June 2021.

4DS Memory share price review

It's been a great 12 months for investors, with the 4DS Memory share price jumping by more than 200%. Year-to-date performance, however, has been less impressive, with the company's shares rising by just 12%.

4DS Memory shares reached a multi-year high of 28 cents in January this year before retreating to their current level. 

The company commands a market capitalisation of roughly $170 million, with approximately 1.3 billion shares outstanding.

The post Why the 4DS Memory (ASX:4DS) share price surged 8% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price is charging higher today, up more than 8% in late morning trade.

Below we take a look at the ASX technology share's latest quarterly activity report.

What did 4DS Memory report for the quarter?

The 4DS Memory share price is soaring after the company reported it had completed testing of its Second Non-Platform Lot, with positive results.

The memory storage provider said it managed to repeat the results for "each of the key memory characteristics (speed, endurance and retention)" which it had achieved with its First Non-Platform Lot.

In a milestone achievement for the company, it reported that 19 of the 21 device wafers were functional. 4DS noted that both non-functional wafers "were the result of being manufactured outside the imec process window".

In a further boost to the 4DS Memory share price, the company said the latest testing has increased its knowledge of how changing key process parameters impact key memory characteristics. This could enable it to manipulate the process parameters to increase memory characteristics.

imec and Western Digital have been providing support and technical input for the project.

Earlier in the quarter, 4DS reported that production of the Second Platform Lot had started at imec's Belgium facilities. 

In this morning's update, 4DS said that production remains on track. Barring unexpected equipment issues or new impacts from COVID-19, it expects to analyse these wafers during the current quarter (Q2) and provide the market with results late in this quarter.

Financial summary and index inclusion

4DS reported it held $5.5 million of cash as at 31 March, down from $6.5 million at the end of the previous quarter. Just under $1 million was used for operating activities.

In a win for the company, it was admitted to the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) on 22 March.

4DS Memory share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, the 4DS Memory share price is up an eye-popping 388%. By comparison, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up 32% at the same time, whilst the All Tech index has gained 79%.

Year-to-date 4DS Memory shares are up 39%.

The post Why the 4DS Memory (ASX:4DS) share price is charging 8% higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

After flatlining all morning then surging 5.4% around midday, the memory storage provider's shares are now swapping hands for 19 cents apiece, up 2.7% at the time of writing.

Patent update

After digesting the announcement, investors are gearing up momentum, pushing the 4DS Memory share price higher.

In today's release, 4DS Memory advised that it has been granted an additional patent to add to its portfolio. Approved by the United States Patent & Trade Mark Office, this brings the company's total number of granted patents within the US to 30.

The new patent is titled Resistive Memory Device Having An Oxide Barrier Layer (patent number 10,950,788).

The company noted that its patents and applications were all developed in-house and were wholly-owned. This gives 4DS peace of mind away from royalty and licencing commitments.

In addition, 4DS Memory has submitted two further patent applications to the US patent office. These patents protect the company's intellectual property regarding Interface Switching ReRAM for Storage Class Memory near to DRAM.

What did the head of management say?

Commenting on the approval, 4DS Memory CEO and managing director Dr Guido Arnout said:

The granting of the 30th 4DS patent strengthens an already extensive portfolio of patents for Interface Switching ReRAM.

These patents and additional filed applications are strategically important for the commercialisation of 4DS technology going forward.

4DS Memory share price snapshot

The 4DS Memory share price has gained more than 350% in the past 12 months and over 50% year-to-date. The company's shares hit a high of 28 cents in late January after investor hype grew over the results of its second non-platform lot.

4DS Memory commands a market capitalisation of around $250.5 million at today's price, with roughly 1.3 billion shares on issue.

The post 4DS Memory (ASX:4DS) share price lifts on patent news appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.