The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price has plunged in early trade this morning after the semiconductor developer announced its half-year results.
At the time of writing, the 4DS Memory share price is trading down 5.26% at 18.5 cents.
The numbers, what do they mean?
4DS has been building out its patent portfolio as it continues working towards its next-generation memory. Between August to December last year, the company added 6 additional USA patents. All of these were in relation to the company's interface Switching ReRAM technology.
Progress continues to be made towards the development of the company's memory. In late December, 4DS' Second Non-Platform Lot underwent analysis – the results were deemed positive on 1 February, as we reported on.
However, all of these business activities come at a cost. 4DS is still in the development stages of its memory, which means little to no revenue is being derived from operational activities. For the half-year reported, 4DS recorded $29,378 in revenue, down 4% from the prior year.
Meanwhile, the company expanded bottom-line losses by 6% to $3.1 million. Most of the loss is due to the continued investment in research and development – which accounted for $2.13 million of expenditure in the half.
Remind me, where's the memory up to?
The positive results confirmed on 1 February from the Second Non-Platform Lot produced some key takeaways:
- The company has been able to repeat the results for key memory characteristics (speed, endurance, and retention).
- 19 out of the 21 device wafers were functional, with the nonfunctional wafers developed outside the imec process window.
- Additional process parameters insights were gained.
Now, 4DS is awaiting results from its Second Platform Lot. These wafers commenced production at imec in Belgium on 27 January. Worth noting, this lot is using imec's memory platform that has the capability to read and write selected bits and bytes.
Furthermore, results from the Second Platform Lot are expected in the second quarter of 2021. 4DS has stated the results from the Second Platform Lot will pave the way for fabricating wafers with chips that are fully functional megabit memories.
4DS share price recap
The 4DS Memory share price has experienced volatility throughout the year. For the shareholders that have held on, however, the returns have been pleasant. In the last 12 months, the 4DS share price has appreciated by 222%. It's not all smooth sailings, 4DS is more volatile than 75% of Australian stocks over the past 3 months.
