After returning from a trading halt, its shares crashed as much as 71% before ultimately closing the session 64% lower at just 1 cent.

Which ASX stock?

The stock that investors were selling off today was 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS).

It is a semiconductor technology company aiming to bring high bandwidth, high endurance, persistent non-volatile memory to advanced CMOS process nodes.

The ASX stock's technology, which is known as Interface Switching ReRAM, features tuneable persistence and low energy per bit for today's most challenging compute intensive and AI processor applications.

While this all sounds very promising, it has failed thus far to deliver on its aims.

What happened?

According to an announcement this morning, following the conclusion of extensive analysis of its Sixth Platform Lot results with research and technology partners imec and HGST, the ASX stock's board has decided to initiate a strategic review of its technology pathway.

This review includes a pause in development activities and the disengagement of collaborations with imec and Infineon Technologies.

Explaining what went wrong, the ASX stock stated:

The last twelve (12) months have underscored both the promise and the challenges of pioneering a disruptive memory technology. The 4DS engineers worked extensively to understand the core switching mechanism and its scalability. However, recent results indicate that advancing further iterations to demonstrate the technology at 20nm would demand materially greater time and capital without certainty of achieving the performance benchmarks now demanded by global markets.

It also notes that trends are changing because of artificial intelligence and that Interface Switching ReRAM may not be the way forward. The company adds:

At the same time, the industry landscape is evolving rapidly, particularly with the acceleration of AI and datacentric computing. The clear market trend is toward high-bandwidth, high-endurance memory solutions, with DRAM currently fulfilling those requirements.

To remain competitive and to deliver value for shareholders, the Board believes it is in the best interests of the Company to disengage collaborations with imec and Infineon Technologies LLC pending the outcome of a strategic review to ensure that the Company continues to maximise the value of the Company's technology for its shareholders. To this end it has terminated its current agreement with Infineon Technologies LLC.

This may be a lesson also for shareholders of Brainchip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN), which continue to bet big on its technology despite there being no sales traction over the last few years and intense competition from tech behemoths.

The post Why did this ASX stock crash 71% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here's why they are falling:

4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS)

The 4DS Memory share price is down 64% to 1 cent. This morning, this semiconductor company revealed that following the conclusion of extensive analysis of its Sixth Platform Lot results, it has resolved to initiate a strategic review of its technology pathway. The review includes a pause in development activities and disengagement of collaborations with imec and Infineon Technologies. Executive chair, David McAuliffe, said: "While the decision to undertake a strategic review is difficult, it is also the right decision. This strategic review is about ensuring that our capital is deployed in a manner which is most advantageous toward creating shareholder value in a fast-moving industry."

Bannerman Energy Ltd (ASX: BMN)

The Bannerman Energy share price is down almost 2% to $3.18. This is despite the uranium developer announcing binding offtake purchase commitments for 1 Mlbs of uranium over five years with two Tier-1 North American generation companies. Management notes that contractual terms under both agreements provide the company with delivery flexibility to preserve Bannerman's capacity for strategic patience ahead of final investment decision at Etango. Bannerman's CEO, Gavin Chamberlain, said: "The signing of these limited, select offtake agreements (the first for Bannerman) with high-quality utility counterparties represents a further important step in our systematic advancement of Etango towards a targeted Final Investment Decision. We are able to demonstrate to potential customers a strong foundation for confidence in our ability to meet future supply commitments."

Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

The Coles Group share price is down over 1% to $23.83. This has been driven by the supermarket giant's shares going ex-dividend this morning for its latest payout. Last month, Coles released its FY 2025 results and declared a fully franked final dividend of 32 cents per share. This will be paid to eligible shareholders later this month on 22 September.

Viva Energy Group Ltd (ASX: VEA)

The Viva Energy share price is down almost 2% to $2.06. This has also been caused by the fuel retailer's shares going ex-dividend this morning. Last month, when the company released its half year results, it declared a fully franked 2.8 cents per share interim dividend. Eligible shareholders can now look forward to receiving this at the end of the month on 30 September.

The post Why 4DS Memory, Bannerman, Coles, and Viva Energy shares are tumbling today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here's why they are falling:

4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS)

The 4DS Memory share price is down 60% to 2.5 cents. Investors have been hitting the sell button today after the semiconductor company released an update on its Sixth Platform Lot. It is a new batch of memory wafers designed to demonstrate its 20-nanometre memory cells. The update stated: "[T]he initial analysis of the wafers within the entire Lot indicates that the necessary process modifications and optimizations introduced into the Sixth Platform Lot have not yielded the expected electrical testing and characterization results the Company was expecting."

ASX Ltd (ASX: ASX)

The ASX share price is down 6% to $68.25. This has been driven by news that the stock exchange operator has been hit with action by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). The corporate regulator plans to commence a compliance assessment and inquiry "into the obligations of ASX's market licensees and clearing and settlement licensees under ss794C and 823C of the Corporations Act." In response, ASX chair, David Clarke said: "We acknowledge the seriousness of this action, and ASIC's inquiry will have our full cooperation […] we acknowledge there have been incidents that have damaged trust in ASX."

Betr Entertainment Ltd (BBT)

The Betr Entertainment share price is down 5% to 30 cents. This follows news that Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH) has rejected the sports betting company's takeover offer. It is pushing ahead with an offer from MIXI Australia instead. Pointsbet said: "The due diligence investigations undertaken by PointsBet reinforce the view of the PointsBet Board that the value of the Betr Proposal is materially below the $1.20 in cash per PointsBet share being offered by MIXI Australia."

Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST)

The Northern Star share price is down 6% to $21.15. This appears to have been driven by profit taking from some investors after gold miners raced higher on Friday in response to escalating tensions in the Middle East. It isn't just Northern Star that is falling. Almost all gold miners are down today. This has led to the S&P/ASX All Ords Gold index losing 3% on Monday.

The post Why 4DS Memory, ASX, Betr, and Northern Star shares are tumbling today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At one stage this morning, the ASX share was down as much as 70% to a lowly 1.9 cents.

This brutal selloff comes after the release of a company update that revealed disappointing early results from its highly-anticipated Sixth Platform Lot — a key step in the development of its next-generation memory technology.

What is 4DS Memory?

4DS Memory is a semiconductor technology company trying (but failing) to develop cutting-edge Interface Switching ReRAM. It is a type of non-volatile memory that promises high speed, low power, and high endurance.

Its goal is to bring this advanced memory to market through partnerships with leading industry players like imec, Infineon Technologies, and Western Digital.

Today's update, however, shows that the journey is far from smooth.

What did the ASX share announce?

In the first half of 2025, 4DS completed the manufacturing of its Sixth Platform Lot — a new batch of memory wafers designed to demonstrate its 20-nanometre memory cells.

This build was supposed to incorporate key learnings and optimisations from the previous Fifth Platform Lot. That batch had focused on refining the memory cell construction process and ironing out any issues ahead of the 20nm scale.

But according to today's release, the electrical testing and characterisation of the Sixth Platform Lot have so far yielded disappointing results. It said:

[T]he initial analysis of the wafers within the entire Lot indicates that the necessary process modifications and optimizations introduced into the Sixth Platform Lot have not yielded the expected electrical testing and characterization results the Company was expecting.

What does this mean?

The testing isn't finished yet — there's more analysis to be done. But the early indicators suggest that the wafers may not function as intended.

If that remains the case after full testing is completed, it will likely delay the development pathway of the ASX share's core ReRAM technology. That means more time, more testing, and potentially more money before 4DS can hope to reach a commercial product.

What's next?

The ASX share is now working on a root cause analysis with partners imec and Infineon to determine what went wrong.

The company's executive chairman, David McAuliffe, said:

The initial analysis of the Sixth Platform Lot will now be shared and discussed with imec and Infineon Technologies Inc. The Company intends to create updated development plans and timelines following these discussions and the completion of the extensive electrical testing and characterization of the Sixth Platform Lot.

Despite the setback, the ASX share says it still has approximately $10 million in available funds, which makes it "well funded."

The post Why is this ASX share crashing 70% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that are falling more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are dropping:

4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS)

The 4DS Memory share price is down 7% to 3.8 cents. This semiconductor company's shares are falling today after it raised capital. 4DS Memory advised that it has received binding commitments from institutional and high net worth investors for a placement of shares to raise $6 million. These funds will be raised a 3.6 cents per new share, which represents a 12.2% discount to its last close price. However, it also represents a 55% discount to where it shares were trading when the previous capital raising was abandoned last month. The proceeds will be used to progress the design agreement with Infineon Technologies.

Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC)

The Lynas Rare Earths share price is down over 5% to $6.71. This follows the release of the rare earths producer's quarterly update. Lynas reported an uplift in sales revenue to $141.2 million and sales receipts to $145.9 million for the quarter. This was despite continuing low market prices and subdued inside China demand. While positive on paper, this appears to have fallen short of the market's expectations for the three months.

Rea Group Ltd (ASX: REA)

The Rea Group share price is down over 2% to $230.88. This morning, analysts at Morgans held firm with their hold rating and $215.00 price target on this property listings company's shares. While the broker is positive on the company, it isn't a fan of its valuation. As a result, Morgans thinks that investors should wait for a more attractive entry point before picking up shares.

Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO)

The Rio Tinto share price is down over 1% to $118.24. This follows a lukewarm response to the miner's quarterly update from brokers this morning. Macquarie felt the update was mixed and highlights that Rio Tinto's iron ore production has had a soft start to 2025. In light of this, the broker has reaffirmed its neutral rating and $120.00 price target. It thinks BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares would be a better option. In other news, there are rumours that Rio Tinto could be plotting a merger with fellow mining heavyweight Glencore (LSE: GLEN).

The post Why 4DS, Lynas, REA Group, and Rio Tinto shares are dropping today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In morning trade, the ASX All Ords stock is down 10% to 3.7 cents.

Why is this ASX All Ords stock crashing?

On Wednesday, as we covered here, the semiconductor technology company requested a trading halt so it could launch a capital raising.

This came a month after the company pulled the plug on another capital raising "because the offering wasn't reflective of what the Board considers is in the best interest of shareholders."

At that point, the ASX All Ords stock was trading at 8 cents. It went into its latest trading halt almost 50% lower at 4.1 cents.

Clearly, the decision to postpone its capital raising wasn't a good one and destroyed significant shareholder wealth.

Capital raising complete

This morning, 4DS Memory revealed that it has received binding commitments from institutional and high net worth investors for a placement of shares to raise $6 million.

According to the release, these funds will be raised a 3.6 cents per new share, which represents a 12.2% discount to its last close price. However, it also represents a massive 55% discount to where it shares were trading when the previous capital raising was abandoned.

The placement will also include the issue of 1 free attaching option for every 1 share issued. These will be exercisable at the same price of 3.6 cents per option with an expiry of 28 February.

Management advised that the placement attracted strong interest in excess of the shares available to allocate.

But the ASX All Ords won't be stopping there and advised that it hopes to raise a further $2 million through a share purchase plan (SPP).

This will be undertaken at the same price and will include the free options. The company notes that an institutional fund has also committed to subscribe for any shortfall securities from the SPP up to a maximum of $1 million.

Why is it raising funds?

The company advised that the capital raised will be used to progress the design agreement with Infineon Technologies. This will see Infineon assign resources to design a custom ReRAM memory test chip for 4DS, based on 4DS requirements.

Commenting on the news, executive chairman, David McAuliffe, said:

The Board is highly encouraged by the completion of the Placement following on from our recent Design Agreement with Infineon Technologies, a global semiconductor leader, and our ongoing work with imec. The Company will also launch an SPP on the same terms as the Placement for existing shareholders who have shown continued support for the Company and I encourage them to participate.

The post Why is this ASX All Ords stock crashing 10% on Friday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

That's because before the market open, the ASX All Ords stock requested a trading halt

Why is this ASX All Ords stock halted?

The semiconductor technology company's shares were slammed into a trading halt this morning after it decided to try and raise capital again.

Last month, 4DS Memory announced plans to raise capital but failed to garner sufficient interest and pulled out. It said:

After consultation with various parties, the Company has elected not to proceed with a capital raise because the offering wasn't reflective of what the Board considers is in the best interest of shareholders.

At the time, it revealed that it "intends to raise capital in early 2025 to enable it to fund its obligations under the Design Agreement it has recently entered into with Infineon Technologies LLC, which will design a custom ReRAM memory test chip for 4DS."

Unfortunately, since then, the ASX All Ords stock has been in freefall and is down almost 50% since the December capital raising trading halt. In fact, its shares ended yesterday at a 52-week low, which is arguably the worst possible time to raise funds.

No details have been released relating to the new proposed capital raising, but it will be interesting to see how this new raising could be "reflective of what the Board considers is in the best interest of shareholders" after such a sizeable decline since last month.

An update on the capital raising is expected on Friday, when the ASX All Ords stock is scheduled to return to trade.

Other news

4DS Memory has also announced that it has successfully completed characterisation and testing of the Fifth Platform Lot.

The company and the imec engineering team will now focus on the manufacture of the Sixth Platform Lot 20nm memory cell array.

Management notes that the Sixth Platform Lot will scale the 4DS memory cell array from 60nm cells to 20nm cells (9x smaller) and position the 4DS ReRAM technology as a potential generational memory. It said:

These new learnings and optimizations from the Fifth Platform Lot are critically important for the successful processing of 4DS's first 20nm memory cell array in the Sixth Platform Lot, expected to be manufactured and analysed in 1H 2025. If the Company is successful in scaling from a 60nm memory cell to 20nm memory cell array, then the Sixth Platform Lot will position 4DS' area-based Interface Switching ReRAM technology as a potential generational memory.

The post Guess the ASX All Ords stock launching a capital raising at a 52-week low appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

But this rising tide did not lift all boats today. So let's talk about three ASX tech stocks that just hit new multi-year lows.

3 ASX tech stocks that just hit new multi-year lows

First up, we have tech stock Data#3 Ltd (ASX: DTL). Data#3 shares have had a horror year, down more than 25% over the past 12 months. Today has been no different, with this company dropping another 0.32% today to finish at $6.29 a share. That's after Data #3 hit a new 52-week low of $6.24 during intra-day trading.

This is not only a new 52-week low but also the lowest point this company has traded at since late 2022.

Next up, we have DUG Technology Ltd (ASX: DUG). This ASX tech stock and data analysis services company has also had a rough time today, sliding 0.77% lower to $1.29 by market close. That's after Dug stock hit a new 52-week low of $1.25 earlier in the day.

Again, it's been a while since Dug has been at these levels, with the last time we saw this pricing being mid-2023.

Finally, let's talk about ASX tech stock and semiconductor company 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS). 4DS Memory had an even more calamitous 2024, with the company now down 45% over the past 12 months. Today alone, this ASX tech stock retreated by a chunky 6.25% to a 52-week low of 4.3 cents before closing at 4.4 cents apiece.

Again, we'd have to travel back to mid-2023 to see the last time 4DS was at the 4-cent levels we are currently seeing.

Time to buy?

Sometimes, bargains are easy to spot on the ASX. Buying quality businesses that have minimal risk of bankruptcy during a stock market crash is a good example. But sometimes, companies fall in value for a good reason. All three of the above ASX tech stocks arguably fall into the latter camp.

Let's start with 4DS. This company cratered more than 25% last month when it abandoned a capital raising program and revealed an expensive partnership with Infineon Technologies. Investors clearly noted the lack of market interest in 4DS' growth plans.

Similarly, it seems Dug Technologies has also lost the faith of some investors over its own capital raising. Dug announced a major capital raising back in October to raise between $30 and $35 million – a substantial amount relative to the company's current market capitalisation of roughly $170 million.

Investors don't usually like stock dilutions on this scale, which seems to be the case here.

Data#3's case is an interesting one. This company has a history of being a volatile investment. But the announcement from major partner Microsoft in December sparked a rush for the exits.

Last month, Microsoft revealed some changes to its partner incentive program (of which Data #3 is part) that will reduce the incentives earned by the company on its Microsoft Enterprise agreements from 1 January 2025.

Data# 3 did reveal that it has implemented various initiatives to mitigate the effects of this, but many investors were still evidently spooked.

Foolish takeaway

In order to view any of these ASX tech stocks as a bargain buy today, you need to have absolute confidence that the market is dead wrong about its assumptions. For example, you would need to come up with a thesis that Dug's capital raisings will lead to turbocharged growth for the company or that Data#3's earnings can survive and thrive under Microsoft's changes.

Knowing when the market is overreacting or merely responding in a rational manner to changing facts on the ground is an essential part of value investing. Tread carefully.

The post These ASX tech stocks just hit multi-year lows! Are they cheap? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

That stock is 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS), which has returned from a trading halt with an almighty thud.

In early trade, the semiconductor company's shares were down as much as 25% to a 52-week low of 6 cents.

They have recovered a touch since then but remain down 17.5% to 6.6 cents at the time of writing.

Why is this ASX All Ords stock crashing?

Investors have been selling the company's shares following the release of announcement earlier this week.

That announcement revealed that it has entered into a design agreement with Infineon Technologies, which is a US-based subsidiary of German semiconductor solutions company Infineon Technologies AG (ETR: IFX).

This agreement will see Infineon provide technical expertise and resources to design a custom ReRAM memory test chip for the ASX All Ords stock, based on its requirements.

However, Infineon Technologies isn't doing this out of the kindness of its heart. This is business.

The release reveals that the initial scope of work under the agreement will be over 15 months for a total of US$4.5 million payable by 4DS. This comprises an upfront payment of US$1.5 million and the balance payable monthly at varying monthly amounts.

Either party may terminate the agreement under standard terms and conditions in any termination clause and upon termination only Infineon Technologies resources completed to the point of termination are payable.

Commenting on the agreement, the ASX All Ords stock's executive chairman, David McAuliffe, said:

We are extremely pleased to have been able to engage a large global semiconductor leader in Infineon to take 4DS to the next phase of development. The Design Agreement is a significant step forward and follows on from the successes the Company achieved in 2023/2024.

Capital raising failure

At the time of the announcement, 4DS revealed that it would be launching a capital raising this week.

However, it seems that there wasn't much of an appetite for its stock. As a result, the company has embarrassingly had to abandon its plans. It said:

After consultation with various parties, the Company has elected not to proceed with a capital raise because the offering wasn't reflective of what the Board considers is in the best interest of shareholders. The Company intends to raise capital in early 2025 to enable it to fund its obligations under the Design Agreement it has recently entered into with Infineon Technologies LLC, which will design a custom ReRAM memory test chip for 4DS. As announced previously, the funds due under the Design Agreement will be paid progressively over 15 months, being the term of the agreement.

The company plans to provide an update in January in relation to the nature and size of its planned capital raising activities.

The post This ASX All Ords stock just crashed 25%! Here's why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The 4DS Memory share price is frozen at 8 cents per share.

4DS Memory is a semiconductor technology company based in Silicon Valley in the United States.

The company announced it has entered into a design agreement with Infineon Technologies LLC, which is a US-based subsidiary of German semiconductor solutions company Infineon Technologies AG (ETR: IFX).

Let's check out the details.

ASX small-cap stock on ice amid news of design deal

4DS is an ASX small-cap tech stock known for its Interface Switching ReRAM technology.

The technology is designed to be used in intensive computing and artificial intelligence processors.

It brings high bandwidth, high endurance, and persistent non-volatile memory to advanced CMOS process nodes.

Under the terms of the agreement, Infineon Technologies LLC will provide technical expertise and resources to design a custom ReRAM memory test chip based on 4DS's requirements.

4DS will pay a total of US$4.5 million for the initial 15-month scope of work. This includes an upfront payment of US$1.5 million, with the balance payable monthly in varying amounts.

In a statement, 4DS explained that the deal was a necessary step in its pathway to product commercialisation.

The company said it needs a customised memory macro platform vehicle that is specifically designed for its unique area-based Interface Switching ReRAM characteristics.

4DS Memory said:

This is a vital and necessary third phase in memory technology development for the Company and Infineon is the ideal party for the implementation of a memory test chip for such a macro Platform strategy.

4DS also issued a company update discussing progress with the analysis of its Fifth Platform Lot.

On 10 October, 4DS Memory announced that Belgium-based nanoelectronics research hub, imec, had completed the manufacture of the Fifth Platform Lot and shipped it to 4DS's facilities in California.

The main purpose of the Fifth Platform Lot is to optimise the memory stack to enable its rescaling in the Sixth Platform Lot.

The company said:

The Fifth Platform Lot analysis to date has been successful in that 4DS has uncovered some processes that can be improved just in time for the Sixth Platform Lot. These process optimizations are currently in progress at imec and will then be used to complete the Sixth Platform Lot.

Extensive testing continues on the Fifth Platform Lot and will carry through to 1Q 2025. Meantime, the company expects the manufacture of the Sixth Lot Platform to be completed in the same quarter.

The executive chair of this ASX small-cap stock, David McAuliffe, said:

The manufacture of an additional 60nm Platform Lot was necessary to ensure that when we scale down to 20nm, which is nine times smaller, we ensure we take the learning from the 60nm cells and incorporate them into the 20nm cells to give the Company the best chance of success.

What's next?

The ASX small-cap stock will remain in a trading halt until the company announces details of its capital raise.

The company expects to make this announcement prior to the commencement of trading on Thursday.

The post ASX small-cap stock halted amid global semiconductor deal appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Shares in 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) have jumped 31% in one month flat. For context, the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) only managed a 6% rise over the same time. Meanwhile, the United States tech-centric index, the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), has gained a weaker 4% during this time.

From good to even better news for 4DS, the ASX AI stock is on a tear again today.

Analysis underway

The 4DS Memory share price is 9.4% higher in afternoon trade, with more than $1 million worth of shares exchanged today. The increased appetite for the company's shares coincides with the release of 4DS' quarterly activity report.

Along with the usual cash flow report, 4DS provided a technical update for the September quarter. The company highlighted 'significant progress' on developing its fifth and sixth platform lots during the three-month period.

Since then, the company has sent its fifth platform lot from Imec to 4DS' own facility for testing. After being dispatched on 10 October, the Fremont facility received the hardware before the originally anticipated seven to 10-day estimate, allowing the team to commence analysis early.

According to the company's prior announcement, interim results from the fifth platform lot are expected to be available in 'mid Q4 2024'.

Elsewhere, the sixth platform lot is currently in development, targeting completion of the 20-nanometre platform by year-end.

ASX stock fuelled by AI excitement

The general excitement surrounding AI might also be behind 4DS' recent rally.

While the sector experienced a brief moment of reflection in August, AI continues to generate buzz. According to Forbes, AI technology is forecast to grow at an annual rate of 36.6% from 2023 to 2030, and nearly three-quarters of businesses surveyed are applying AI in some capacity.

Illustrating the rosy expectations, analysts believe Nvidia will double its revenue this financial year.

The rocketing phenomenon has been a rising tide lifting most boats in the semiconductor space. As such, 4DS wants a piece of the piece.

Last year, the company's quarterly report did not mention AI. This time around, the booming technology was included five times, including within the company's description, stating:

[4DS Memory's] technology, known as Interface Switching ReRAM, features tunable persistence and low energy per bit for today's most challenging compute-intensive and AI processor applications.

Despite the recent run, this ASX AI stock has still fallen 29% over the past year.

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At the time of writing, the ASX tech share is up 30% to 9.6 cents.

Why is this ASX tech share rocketing?

Investors have been buying the semiconductor company's shares today in response to the release of a promising announcement.

According to the release, 4DS Memory has successfully completed further analysis of the Fourth Platform Lot and the results are significantly better that those announced in September.

The company advised that the Fourth Platform Lot has verified that 4DS has demonstrated reliable write speeds of 4.7 nanoseconds. This compares to write speeds of 9.5 nanoseconds previously and is significantly better than DRAM write speed of 30 nanoseconds.

In addition, it highlights that it has shown that memory cell programming is due to the phenomenon of Electric Pulse Induced Resistance switching (EPIR). It also demonstrates variable cell level writing by voltage or time pulse modification and persistent memory with low energy consumption.

The ASX tech share's executive chairman, David McAuliffe, commented:

Congratulations to the 4DS team for this remarkable technical achievement. This clearly establishes 4DS as the industry leader in potentially bringing Interface Switching ReRAM to market, and we welcome the opportunity to work with industry partners in memory, Advanced AI, and foundry services to explore how 4DS can bring added competitiveness and higher performance to their offerings.

Board adviser, Peter Himes, was very excited by the results. He added:

Achieving this technical milestone is significant for two reasons. First, at 4.7 nanoseconds the 4DS memory cell requires one of the lowest energy per bit of any persistent memory solution, and operating within the DRAM refresh cycle means that the 4DS cell can be refreshed as needed maintaining that persistence memory virtually indefinitely at very low energy consumption. And secondly, being able to program with a one shot pulse – as opposed to iterative programming that is needed for most other memory technologies – means that 4DS can truly respond at DRAM speeds without the penalty of constant DRAM refreshes. This opens up new possibilities for 4DS in the memory space as well.

This ASX tech share is up over 200% since this time last year.

The post Guess which ASX tech share is rocketing 30% on Monday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In morning trade, ASX tech stock's shares are down 28% to 7.6 cents.

Why is this ASX tech stock crashing?

Investors have been selling the memory technology developer's shares in response to the release of a company update after the market close on Wednesday.

Investors appear disappointed that the update suggests that revenue generation could still be some way off and have been selling down the ASX tech stock.

Earlier this year, the company revealed significant success with its fourth platform lot. Management advised that the results made 4DS "well placed to position itself in the memory space that targets a technology that can be closer to DRAM."

It seems that many felt this was a sign that commercialisation wasn't far away. However, its latest update appears to suggest that there will be at least another year of product development and testing.

What was announced?

The release reveals that the ASX tech stock will be manufacturing its fifth and sixth platform lots on Imec's Dory platform on 60nm and 20nm memory cells.

Manufacturing will commence during the first quarter and second quarter of 2024, respectively, with delivery to 4DS expected during the third quarter.

Management advised that the fifth platform lot is seeking to further optimise the unique characteristics of the results already seen on the 60nm memory cells prior to undertaking manufacturing on 20nm memory cells.

The company's executive chair, David McAuliffe, stated

Today's ever-growing computing landscape presents a growing challenge to solve for platforms, applications and system designers, with massive shifts taking place, including the rise of Generative AI, and other related advances, resulting in severe processing bottlenecks. With a strong balance sheet and a much-reduced dependency on raising additional capital, unless it was a strategic placement, the Board is of the view that this increased investment at imec is in the best interests of shareholders to potentially maximise the opportunity to further position 4DS as a unique technology to address gaps in the market.

The post Why is this ASX tech stock crashing 28% on Thursday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back are listed below. Here's why they are rising:

4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS)

The 4DS share price is up 25% to 18.2 cents. This morning, this semiconductor company revealed significantly better results than those that were announced last month for its random-access memory (ReRAM) cells in the megabit array. Management notes that write speeds were 9.5 nanoseconds, which significantly outperforms DRAM write speeds.

Lindian Resources Ltd (ASX: LIN)

The Lindian Resources share price is up 2% to 25.5 cents. This follows the release of drilling results from the rare earths explorer's Kangankunde project in Malawi. Lindian's Executive Chairman, Asimwe Kabunga, commented: "Kangankunde's scale continues to grow and this is attracting the interest of a number of parties seeking to secure offtake from our planned Stage 1 operation."

Red 5 Limited (ASX: RED)

The Red 5 share price is up 21% to 26.7 cents. Investors have been buying this ASX gold share following news of a major block trade before the market open. Someone picked up 372,897,512 units in Red 5 for an 18.2% premium of 26 cents per share. There are rumours that fellow gold miner Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) was behind the purchase.

Wildcat Resources Ltd (ASX: WC8)

The Wildcat Resources share price is up 83% to 44 cents. This has been driven by the release of drilling results from the lithium explorer's Tabba Tabba Lithium Tantalum Project near Port Hedland in Western Australia. The initial results from 21 holes confirm that pegmatite bodies contain significant widths and grades of lithium mineralisation. This project is close to some major tier-one lithium projects.

The post Why 4DS, Lindian Resources, Red 5, and Wildcat Resources shares are racing higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In morning trade, the semiconductor company's shares are up 48% to 21.5 cents.

Why is the 4DS share price shooting higher?

Investors have been buying 4DS shares this morning after the company released an update on the results of the Fourth Platform Lot.

According to the release, further analysis has revealed significantly better results than those that were announced last month which put a rocket under the company's shares.

The release notes that the focus of the additional testing was to establish the optimal conditions of the 60nm resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) cells in the megabit array.

Pleasingly for shareholders, the second test cycle of the Fourth Platform Lot is now complete and the analysis shows the following:

• Write speed at 9.5 nanoseconds which significantly outperforms DRAM write speed.
• Increased endurance in excess of 3 billion cycles on a megabit array.
• Verified equivalent DRAM read speed.
• Verified persistent memory with variable and tuneable retention.

4DS also highlights that the upper limit of endurance is unknown because it has a finite capacity due to equipment and manpower to test the upper limit in this additional analysis period. Further analysis will be done over time.

Why is this good news?

Investors appear to believe that these results point to ReRAM being a potential successor to DRAM.

The company has previously highlighted that the high-density high-volume memory segment is currently dominated by DRAM (a US$95 billion market) and NAND Flash (a US$56 billion market). It highlights:

The read/write speed and endurance parameters are critical to the Company's goals in the memory space requiring DRAM-like performance. 4DS' ReRAM performance profile to suitably meet this goal has again been clearly demonstrated on the Fourth Platform Lot via the additional testing.

Executive chairman, David McAuliffe, concludes:

These additional megabit array results are a significant milestone for the Company. Moving forward we will continue to undertake further analysis to test the upper limits of endurance and read/write characteristics for the purpose of further enhancements to the Platform. With significant results and a strong balance sheet the Company is extremely well placed to position itself in the memory space that targets a technology that can be closer to DRAM.

The 4DS share price is now up 200% since this time last month.

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So much so, the ASX tech stock is up 260% since this time last month.

But that run won't be continuing on Thursday after the company requested a trading halt.

What's going on with this ASX tech stock?

Given its incredible rise over the past month, you would be forgiven for thinking that 4DS Memory has requested the trading halt so it can undertake a capital raising.

However, that's not the reason for the halt today. In its request, the company stated the following:

Following the announcement on 23 August 2023, the Company has undertaken additional testing cycles and the Company requests a trading halt whilst it undertakes a comprehensive review of the newly compiled data.

What is this referring to?

Last month, 4DS revealed that it has successfully completed the analysis of the fourth platform lot for its ReRAM memory cells. Pleasingly for shareholders, the results obtained were significantly better than the company were expecting.

Highlights include the successful incorporation of its ReRAM memory cells into the imec megabit array, the validation of 4DS Interface Switching ReRAM technology being transferable from fab to fab, the demonstration of a fully functional megabit array with 4DS Interface Switching ReRAM memory cells, and the achievement of a consistent read and write speeds equivalent to DRAM.

The company also advised that it had proven its endurance with in excess of 2 billion cycles at DRAM read and write speed on a megabit array.

At the time, the ASX tech stock's interim executive chairman, David McAuliffe, stated:

These megabit array results are a turning point for the Company and will now shape the Board's strategic planning over the coming months. I would like to congratulate both the 4DS and imec teams on achieving this milestone and thank shareholders for their continued support.

Over the coming weeks additional analysis of the megabit array will continue and a meeting is being scheduled with imec in early October to discuss strategic plans.

Is the halt good news or bad news?

That's the million-dollar question. It could be that further testing has demonstrated greater durability. The alternative is that further analysis has uncovered an issue.

But for now, this is all speculation.

Thankfully, we won't have to wait long for an answer. The trading halt request is until Monday, so we should have an update before the market open next week.

The post This ASX tech stock is up 260% in a month. Why has it just been halted? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market's lead are listed below. Here's why they are falling:

4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS)

The 4DS share price is down 17% to 13.7 cents. This is despite there being no news out of the semiconductor company. However, it is worth noting that its shares are still up 350% since this time last month despite today's decline. As a result, it's possible that some profit-taking is happening.

Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN)

The Chalice Mining share price is down a further 5.5% to $3.56. This mineral exploration company's shares have been sold off this week following the release of its scoping study for the Gonneville Nickel-Copper-PGE Project. While that study outlines an executable, tier-1 scale development project in a world-class jurisdiction, management doesn't expect to commence production until 2029. Given how far out this is, it is hard to forecast what commodity prices will be. The market appears to believe Chalice has been too optimistic with its assumptions.

Mayne Pharma Group Ltd (ASX: MYX)

The Mayne Pharma share price is down 19% to $3.85. Investors have been hitting the sell button following the release of the pharmaceutical company's full-year results. For FY 2023, Mayne Pharma posted a massive net loss after tax of $317.4 million.

Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB)

The Webjet share price is down 5.5% to $7.01. This follows the release of the online travel agent's annual general meeting update. Investors may be concerned with a slight slowdown in the company's total transaction value (TTV) growth in FY 2024. In addition, management has revealed that it has no plans to reinstate its dividend in the near future.

The post Why 4DS, Chalice Mining, Mayne Pharma, and Webjet shares are sinking today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In morning trade, the ASX tech stock is up 3% to 18 cents.

This means that 4DS shares are now up 500% since this time last month.

Why is this ASX tech stock on fire right now?

Investors have been scrambling to buy 4DS shares since it announced that it had finally successfully incorporated its resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) cells into the imec megabit array.

In addition, its analysis has validated that 4DS interface switching ReRAM technology is transferable from fab to fab and has demonstrated consistent read and write speeds equivalent to dynamic random-access memory (DRAM).

The company has previously highlighted that the high-density high-volume memory segment is currently dominated by DRAM (a US$95 billion market) and NAND Flash (a US$56 billion market).

'A turning point'

Commenting on the achievement, interim executive chairman, David McAuliffe, said:

These megabit array results are a turning point for the Company and will now shape the Board's strategic planning over the coming months. I would like to congratulate both the 4DS and imec teams on achieving this milestone and thank shareholders for their continued support.

This sentiment was echoed by the ASX tech stock's chief technology officer, Ting Yen, who commented:

We are very pleased with our imec collaboration and their comprehensive engineering support that made this significant achievement possible. We would like to thank imec for keeping a focussed engineering and fab effort throughout the fabrication of this megabit array and completing on schedule. These significant and robust results validate 4DS' optimization strategy and the decision to establish a duplicate of imec's custom testing hardware and software for the megabit array at the 4DS Fremont facility.

Time will tell if this is another Brainchip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN) meme stock or a company with substance. But investors may want to approach with caution, particularly after such a strong gain this month.

The post Here's why this ASX tech stock has rocketed 500% in a month appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The 4DS Memory share price flew 142% in early trading to a new 52-week high of 16 cents per share.

It is currently trading at 13 cents per share, up 97% for the day so far.

Let's look into what's going on.

4DS Memory share price shooting the lights out

4DS Memory is a semiconductor development company of non-volatile memory technology.

The company came out of a trading halt this morning after announcing better-than-expected results in a recent analysis of its Fourth Platform Lot.

The company said the results obtained "are significantly better than the Board and management team at 4DS were expecting".

Here's a rundown of the results.

The company's analysis of its Fourth Platform Lot has verified that 4DS has:

• Successfully incorporated its ReRAM memory cells into the imec megabit array
• Validated that 4DS Interface Switching ReRAM technology is transferable from fab to fab
• Demonstrated a fully functional megabit array with 4DS Interface Switching ReRAM memory cells
• Produced consistent read and write speeds equivalent to DRAM
• Proven endurance in excess of 2 billion cycles at DRAM read and write speed on a megabit array
• Demonstrated persistent memory with variable and tuneable retention.

The company has now shown for the first time a fully functioning megabit array with 60nm memory cells, access transistors, and write circuitry.

A 'turning point' for the company

Interim executive chair David McAuliffe said the megabit array results "are a turning point for the
Company and will now shape the Board's strategic planning over the coming months".

Chief Technology Officer Ting Yen said:

We are very pleased with our imec collaboration and their comprehensive engineering support that made this significant achievement possible.

These significant and robust results validate 4DS' optimization strategy and the decision to establish a duplicate of imec's custom testing hardware and software for the megabit array at the 4DS Fremont facility.

4DS Memory share price snapshot

The 4DS Memory share price is up 383% in the year to date.

The post Here's why the 4DS Memory share price just exploded 142%! appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The ASX tech share shot up following an announcement by the semiconductor memory storage company this morning before settling again in late morning trade.

The ASX tech share is currently trading at 5.1 cents, up 2%. It reached an intraday high of 6.6 cents shortly after the open.

The company went into a trading halt yesterday and also received a price query from the ASX.

What's the news that launched this ASX tech share skywards?

4DS has updated shareholders on its 2023 collaboration with imec this morning.

The company said it has finalised arrangements to extend the collaboration project into mid-2023. The cost will be 903,000 euros.

4DS said manufacturing of the Fourth Platform Lot will commence in Q1 2023. The company expects delivery at the end of Q2 2023.

4DS Memory is a semiconductor development company of non-volatile memory technology.

imec is a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies.

What did management say?

4DS Memory executive chair Dr Wilbert van den Hoek said:

We are extremely pleased to have reached agreement with imec for an extension of our collaboration into 2023.

We will continue to undertake internal activities, the results of which will be inputs to the collaboration during 2023. Furthermore, we are continually improving our testing capability to ensure that we are best placed for a potentially successful outcome.

What has 2022 been like for this ASX tech share?

The 4DS Memory share price is down 42% in 2022.

This performance is on par with the information technology index, which is down 34% year to date.

The post Why did this ASX tech share just explode 30%? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.