Everspin signs Microchip deal for second MRAM source

Everspin has signed a manufacturing agreement with Microchip to add a second onshore source for MRAM production. The 10-year deal centres on a Microchip fabrication facility in Oregon and can be extended in two-year increments.

Everspin will establish a copy-exact-plus MRAM line at the Oregon site to produce MRAM and tunnel magnetoresistive sensor products now made at its line in Chandler, Arizona. The move is intended to expand production capacity and strengthen long-term supply for customers in industrial, aerospace and automotive markets, where systems often remain in production for years and continuity of supply is a key purchasing requirement.

Under the agreement, Everspin will retain ownership of the intellectual property and manufacturing process while using foundry services from Microchip. Wafer manufacturing at the Chandler facility, co-located at NXP, will continue.

Supply Focus

Adding a second domestic source addresses a persistent concern for buyers of specialised memory products: the risk of disruption when production depends on a single site. By duplicating its process at a second US fab, Everspin aims to reduce that concentration risk while creating room to increase wafer output.

The arrangement also includes International Traffic in Arms Regulations wafer processing, a factor likely to matter for defence-related and aerospace applications that require manufacturing to remain within specific regulatory boundaries.

MRAM, or magnetoresistive random access memory, is a non-volatile memory technology that retains data when power is removed. Everspin has focused on persistent memory products for systems where data retention and product longevity matter, rather than the high-volume consumer memory market.

The agreement gives Microchip a foundry role in a specialist segment of the semiconductor market, rather than positioning it as a direct supplier of MRAM products. For Everspin, the Oregon line will serve as a second manufacturing base alongside its Arizona operation.

In the semiconductor industry, duplicating a process across sites can be difficult because product performance and yields must closely match. Everspin said it would use two decades of MRAM production experience from Chandler as the benchmark for ramping the process at the Oregon fab.

Market Demands

The move comes as chipmakers and their customers continue to reassess supply chains after years of disruption and geopolitical strain. Domestic manufacturing options have become more important for buyers in regulated and long-life markets, especially where redesigning hardware around a different memory part can be costly and time-consuming.

According to Everspin, the arrangement will provide additional wafer capacity, a second onshore source for MRAM and TMR sensor products, and continuity of supply into the next decade. The added capacity could also create room for further research and development programmes tied to next-generation products.

Sanjeev Aggarwal, president and chief executive officer of Everspin, linked the expansion to customer demand and wider MRAM adoption.

"Everspin is expanding its manufacturing footprint to support the next phase of MRAM adoption, as customers look for both long-term supply stability and higher-density, more capable solutions," Aggarwal said. "Our partnership with Microchip adds the production scale to support demand while continuing to advance our MRAM roadmap."

Microchip described the agreement as a use of its existing manufacturing base in Oregon. "Microchip is pleased to collaborate with Everspin and provide foundry services from its large and expandable manufacturing capacity in our Oregon Fab," said Michael Finley, senior vice president of Microchip's fab operations.

Everspin expects the first products from the Microchip arrangement to ship in the second half of 2027.