JMicron

JMicron Technology Corporation is a Taiwan-based fabless semiconductor design company headquartered in Hsinchu. Its products are controller integrated circuits used to connect, manage, and expand storage and peripheral devices rather than consumer products sold directly under a conventional retail brand. The company’s portfolio has historically covered USB-to-SATA and USB-to-NVMe bridge controllers, PCIe-to-SATA expansion controllers, SATA port multipliers, RAID and cloning controllers, card-reader interfaces, PATA and SATA bridges, and controllers for external hard drives, solid-state drives, enclosures, docking products, and computer motherboards. JMicron was established in September 2001 and developed an early specialization in interface controllers. In 2002, it began work on USB 2.0-to-SATA bridge technology, helping external-storage manufacturers connect Serial ATA drives to computers through USB. During the following years, the company broadened its work into PCIe, SATA, PATA, FireWire, Ethernet, card-reader, and other peripheral interfaces. It also operated an advanced research and development center in Irvine, California, supporting its Taiwan-based design operation. The company entered the solid-state-drive controller market in the mid-2000s. Its first-generation JMF601A and JMF602A controllers reached manufacturers near the end of 2007 and were adopted in drives sold by companies including ASUS, Corsair, OCZ, and Transcend. These products helped make early SSDs more accessible, but the controllers were also criticized for poor random-write behavior and the resulting stuttering in some workloads. The technical limitations were associated in part with the absence of a DRAM cache and the characteristics of contemporary NAND flash. JMicron subsequently released revised and newer generations, including the JMF612, JMF661, JMF667, and JMF667H families. JMicron’s broader interface-controller business became especially important in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The company supplied controllers for external hard-disk products and SATA-to-PATA bridges, and it developed USB 3.0, eSATA, RAID, port-multiplier, and card-reader solutions as high-speed interfaces evolved. In 2011, it was reported to have won USB 3.0 hard-drive-controller orders from Western Digital and Samsung Electronics. Later products moved toward USB 3.1, USB Type-C, PCIe, NVMe, and higher-speed multi-drive architectures. In 2014, JMicron announced SATA SSD controllers, PCIe SSD controllers, USB-to-SATA bridge products, and single-chip dual-port RAID or cloning solutions. The JMF667H received more favorable market commentary than the company’s earliest SSD controllers, particularly as an entry-level controller when paired with suitable NAND. In June 2016, JMicron spun off its SSD-controller division into Maxio Technology Corporation, while JMicron continued to focus on interface and bridge controllers. Its later product families include USB 3.2-to-SATA, USB-to-UFS, USB-to-SD or PCIe, USB-to-NVMe, PCIe-to-SATA, and multi-port SATA solutions. JMicron therefore occupies a component-supplier position in the storage ecosystem, enabling products made by other hardware brands rather than operating primarily as a finished-device manufacturer.

JMicron Technology Corporation was founded in September 2001 in Hsinchu, Taiwan, as a fabless integrated-circuit design house. Rather than manufacturing semiconductor wafers itself, the company designs controller chips for use by computer, storage, and peripheral-equipment manufacturers. Its early business was centered on interface conversion and expansion, an area that became increasingly important as computers moved between parallel ATA, Serial ATA, USB, PCI Express, and other connection standards. In 2002, JMicron began developing USB 2.0-to-SATA bridge technology. These controllers allowed manufacturers to build external hard-drive enclosures and other storage accessories that connected SATA drives to computers through USB. The company subsequently expanded into related products, including SATA-to-PATA and PATA-to-SATA bridges, PCIe storage controllers, card-reader interfaces, FireWire-related controllers, Ethernet physical-layer devices, and SATA port multipliers with RAID functionality. JMicron entered the SSD-controller market in 2006, with its first products, the JMF601A and JMF602A, reaching manufacturers toward the end of 2007. The controllers were used in SSDs from brands such as ASUS, Corsair, OCZ, and Transcend, and helped enable relatively inexpensive solid-state drives at a time when the market was still developing. Their commercial impact was significant, but their technical limitations also became well known. In particular, early implementations lacked DRAM caching and could exhibit pronounced random-write latency or stuttering with contemporary NAND flash. A JMF602B revision addressed some issues but did not eliminate the broader performance criticism. During 2008, JMicron broadened its public product range. Demonstrated products included the JMB353, which combined high-speed USB and IEEE 1394a connectivity with a SATA II interface; the JMB38x family for PCIe card-reader and 1394 applications; the JMB211 Gigabit Ethernet PHY; the JMB352 USB and eSATA controller for two SATA II drives; and the JMB325 SATA II port multiplier with hardware RAID. This range illustrated the company’s central role as an enabling-chip supplier for external storage, motherboard expansion, and computer peripherals. The JMF612 SSD controller arrived in 2009 and was used in a range of products during 2010. JMicron also achieved substantial shipment volume in external-hard-drive and SATA-PATA bridge controllers. Around 2010, industry reporting identified the company as a leading interface-controller supplier, and the company was scheduled for a listing on Taiwan’s GreTai Securities Market, although the supplied reference material does not establish the final listing outcome. JMicron continued investing in its own physical-layer and high-speed interface technologies while seeking to reduce dependence on slower-growth notebook and motherboard controller markets. In 2011, the company expanded its USB 3.0 business and was reported to have won controller orders from Western Digital and Samsung Electronics for hard-drive applications. The JMF661, released in late 2011, represented a further SSD-controller generation. The JMF667 family followed in 2013, including versions supporting external DDR3 cache and higher-capacity SSD configurations. Contemporary analysis attributed a large share of JMicron revenue to SSD controllers and high-speed transmission-interface ICs, reflecting the company’s dual emphasis on storage media control and connectivity. JMicron’s 2014 announcements covered four-channel SATA SSD controllers, PCIe Gen II SSD controllers, USB-to-SATA bridge devices, USB 3.1 technology, and dual-port SATA RAID or cloning chips. The JMF670 and JMF670H were specified for capacities up to 512 GB, while the JMF810 and JMF811 targeted PCIe solid-state storage. The JMF667H subsequently received more positive reviews than the company’s early SSD controllers and was considered a competitive, low-cost option when paired with suitable NAND. Review testing cited strong sequential performance, useful random I/O capability, and low power consumption in appropriate configurations. In June 2016, JMicron spun off its SSD division into Maxio Technology Corporation. This separated the SSD-controller activity from JMicron’s continuing interface-controller business. JMicron thereafter continued developing bridge and expansion products for USB, SATA, PCIe, NVMe, UFS, SD, and multi-drive storage systems. Later families include USB 3.2 controllers for SATA, NVMe, SD, PCIe, and UFS applications, as well as PCIe-to-SATA controllers and SATA port multipliers. The company’s historical importance lies less in a consumer-facing product label than in the controller silicon embedded inside external drives, storage enclosures, SSDs, docking products, and computer expansion hardware.

• 2016

  SSD division is spun off to Maxio Technology

  [1]JMicronen.wikipedia.org

  JMicron separates its SSD-controller operation into Maxio Technology Corporation while retaining its broader interface-controller activities.

• 2014

  SATA, PCIe, and USB 3.1 products are announced

  [1]JMicronen.wikipedia.org

  JMicron presents new SATA and PCIe SSD controllers, USB-to-SATA bridges, USB 3.1 technology, and dual-port RAID or cloning solutions.

• 2013

  JMF667 series launches

  [1]JMicronen.wikipedia.org

  The company introduces a newer SSD-controller family supporting higher-capacity designs and external DDR3 caching.

• 2011

  USB 3.0 storage orders are reported

  [1]JMicronen.wikipedia.org

  JMicron is reported to have won USB 3.0 hard-drive-controller business from Western Digital and Samsung Electronics.

• 2009

  JMF612 is released

  [1]JMicronen.wikipedia.org

  JMicron launches the JMF612 SSD controller, which gains use in multiple SSD products.

• 2008

  Peripheral-controller portfolio expands

  [1]JMicronen.wikipedia.org

  JMicron showcases controllers for USB, IEEE 1394, SATA, PCIe card readers, Ethernet, and multi-drive RAID systems.

• 2007

  First-generation SSD controllers reach manufacturers

  [1]JMicronen.wikipedia.org

  The JMF601A and JMF602A controllers are introduced and adopted in SSD products from several hardware brands.

• 2006

  JMicron begins SSD-controller development

  [1]JMicronen.wikipedia.org

  The company starts developing controller technology for solid-state drives.

• 2002

  USB-to-SATA development begins

  [1]JMicronen.wikipedia.org

  JMicron begins developing USB 2.0-to-SATA bridge-controller technology for external storage applications.

• 2001

  JMicron is founded in Hsinchu

  [1]JMicronen.wikipedia.org

  JMicron Technology Corporation is established in September as a Taiwan-based fabless IC design company.

Fabless supplier of cost-conscious storage-interface and peripheral-controller ICs, with a strong emphasis on bridge, expansion, enclosure, and embedded connectivity applications.

• SSD controllers · 2007

  JMF601A/JMF602A

  JMicron’s first-generation SSD controllers, introduced around the end of 2007. They were used by multiple SSD manufacturers and helped support lower-priced early solid-state drives. Their lack of DRAM caching and limited handling of random writes led to reports of high latency and stuttering in some products.

• SSD controller · 2009

  JMF612

  A later-generation SSD controller released in 2009 and used in a number of industry SSD products during the following year. It formed part of JMicron’s effort to improve on the performance limitations associated with its earliest consumer SSD controllers.

• SATA SSD controller · 2013

  JMF667H

  An entry-level SATA SSD controller from the JMF667 family. Reviews described it as competitive and power-efficient when paired with appropriate NAND, with reported sequential read and write speeds approaching the limits of the SATA interface in suitable implementations.

• SATA SSD controllers · 2014

  JMF670/JMF670H

  Four-channel SATA SSD controllers announced in 2014, designed for storage capacities of up to 512 GB. They represent JMicron’s later generation of SATA flash-storage controller technology before the SSD division was separated into Maxio Technology.

• PCIe SSD controllers · 2014

  JMF810/JMF811

  PCIe Gen II SSD-controller designs announced in 2014. The JMF810 used a two-lane configuration and the JMF811 a four-lane configuration, targeting higher-throughput solid-state storage than SATA-based controllers.

• USB-to-SATA bridge controllers · 2016

  JMS576/JMS578

  Controllers for connecting SATA 6 Gb/s storage devices through USB. The family supports external-drive enclosures and accessories, with the JMS576 associated with USB Type-C-era products and the JMS578 associated with USB 3.0-class implementations.

• USB-to-PCIe/NVMe bridge controllers

  JMS583/JMS586

  High-speed bridge controllers for external PCIe and NVMe storage. The JMS583 targets USB 3.2 Gen 2 to PCIe/NVMe Gen 3 x2 connectivity, while the JMS586 targets USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 and PCIe/NVMe Gen 3 x4 configurations.

• Multi-drive USB-to-SATA controller

  JMS591

  A multi-drive storage bridge supporting USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 and up to five SATA 6 Gb/s drives. It supports storage arrangements including RAID levels and JBOD, making it suitable for external multi-bay enclosures and storage appliances.

• PCIe-to-SATA controllers

  JMB582/JMB585

  PCIe Gen 3 storage-expansion controllers. The JMB582 supports two SATA 6 Gb/s ports through a single PCIe lane, while the JMB585 supports five SATA 6 Gb/s ports through a two-lane PCIe connection.

• SATA port multipliers and selectors

  JMB572/JMB575

  SATA 6 Gb/s controllers that expand one host connection to multiple SATA devices or perform port-selection functions. The JMB572 supports two-port configurations, while the JMB575 supports up to five ports.

• 2016

  Separate the SSD-controller divisionStrategy

  Background

  JMicron had developed a substantial SSD-controller business alongside its longer-established interface and bridge-controller activities.

  Action taken

  In June 2016, the company spun off its SSD division into Maxio Technology Corporation.

  Aftermath

  JMicron continued as a supplier focused on storage-interface, bridge, expansion, and peripheral-controller products, while Maxio pursued SSD-controller design and marketing.

  Source

• 2014

  Expand into PCIe, USB 3.1, and multi-drive storage controllersProduct launch

  Background

  Storage products were moving toward PCIe, faster USB standards, and higher-capacity multi-drive configurations.

  Action taken

  JMicron announced PCIe SSD controllers, USB 3.1 technology, USB-to-SATA bridges, and dual-port SATA RAID or cloning controllers.

  Aftermath

  The announcements demonstrated a broader high-speed-interface strategy beyond traditional SATA and notebook-controller applications.

  Source

1. 1JMicronen.wikipedia.org