WhereIsAtlas · Semiconductors

Qimonda

The German memory-chip maker that rose quickly in the 2000s and collapsed into insolvency in 2009

Defunct — Spun off from Infineon in 2006, Qimonda became one of the world's leading makers of computer-memory chips — then filed for insolvency in January 2009, a casualty of the global financial crisis and crushing memory-chip price collapse.

Qimonda was created in 2006 when Germany's Infineon Technologies spun off its memory-chip division into a separate, listed company. Based in Munich, it became one of the world's largest producers of DRAM — the memory chips that power computers and consumer electronics — and a flagship of Europe's semiconductor ambitions.

The company's rise was short-lived. The memory-chip market is brutally cyclical, driven by huge capital costs and volatile prices. In late 2008 the global financial crisis, combined with an oversupply of DRAM, pushed memory prices sharply downward, and Qimonda — carrying heavy debt and facing falling revenues — ran out of time.

In January 2009 Qimonda commenced insolvency proceedings, making it one of the most prominent casualties of the semiconductor bust. The company's assets were sold off, its German operations largely liquidated, and the name effectively vanished from the industry.

Quick facts

Founded
2006 (spun off from Infineon)
Based
Munich, Germany
Core product
DRAM memory chips
Peak
One of world's largest DRAM makers
Insolvency
January 2009
Cause
Financial crisis + memory-price collapse + heavy debt

Lineage — where the name went

A DRAM business that was spun out of Infineon after that company had itself been spun out of Siemens, listed and then insolvent within three years, and afterwards reduced to a patent portfolio marketed by its administrator.

  1. 2006 — Infineon Technologies spun off Qimonda AG (the memory business carved out with effect from 1 May 2006)
  2. 2006 — Infineon Technologies was parent of Qimonda AG (still held a majority of the shares after the spin-off)
  3. 1999 — Siemens was ancestor of Infineon Technologies (Siemens announced the spin-off of its semiconductor division in 1999)
  4. 2008 — Qimonda AG created Buried Wordline (its Buried Wordline memory technology)
  5. 2009 — Qimonda AG created The insolvency (filed on 23 January 2009 after the bailout package failed)
  6. 2011 — Dr. Michael Jaffé sold The Qimonda patent portfolio (as administrator he marketed the patent portfolio)
  7. 2011 — Dr. Michael Jaffé licensed the brand to Elpida Memory (the first settlement with a licensee, reached in May 2011)
  8. Micron Technology acquired The Qimonda patent portfolio (Micron and others purchased Qimonda's patents)
  9. Qimonda AG licensed the brand to ChangXin Memory Technologies (ChangXin Memory Technologies licensed the technology before Micron acquired it)

Entities in this tree: Qimonda AG (company, 2006); Infineon Technologies (company); Siemens (company); Buried Wordline (product, 2008); The insolvency (event, 2009); Dr. Michael Jaffé (person); The Qimonda patent portfolio (product); Elpida Memory (company); Micron Technology (company); ChangXin Memory Technologies (company)

Sources

  1. Qimonda - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-04)
  2. Infineon Technologies: Qimonda commences insolvency proceedings — GlobeNewswire (2026-09-04)
  3. Agreement with Elpida relating to Qimonda's patent portfolio — Evertiq (2026-09-20)
  4. Siemens to Spin Off Semiconductor Division — The New York Times (2026-09-20)

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