Chinese DRAM Manufacturer Used Stolen Samsung Technologies

China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), the leading dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) manufacturer in the country, allegedly used stolen Samsung technologies to expedite its own production capabilities. This revelation emerged from court proceedings in South Korea, where a former Samsung engineer—with 28 years of tenure—was found guilty of transmitting confidential data.

According to court filings, CXMT's leadership did not intend to develop technologies from scratch but sought ready-made solutions from competitors. The former Samsung employee provided the Chinese firm with a detailed 600-step production process plan (Process Recipe Plan, PRP), including 18nm process data. This information enabled CXMT to bypass years of research and accelerate mass production.

While the leaked data did not include full details of transistor architecture or physical design, it significantly reduced development timelines. Typically, DRAM manufacturers require three to five years to create a new process node. CXMT, however, began mass-producing DDR4 memory on a 22nm process in 2019 and transitioned to 18nm by 2023.

The engineer was sentenced to seven years in prison. The extent of CXMT's reliance on stolen technologies remains under scrutiny, but the court's ruling confirms the unauthorized transfer of confidential information.