India Heads Out This Diwali; Beach Destinations and Interstate Road Trips Top Preferences: OYO’s Trends

* This Diwali, Jaipur, Kerala, Goa, Visakhapatnam and Varanasi top the charts as the most popular leisure destinations among travellers

* Delhiites and Lucknowites are heading on road trips to Jaipur, whereas Puneites, Bangaloreans and Hyderabadis are travelling to Goa

* Across South India, Kochi in Kerala has emerged as the most popular tourist hotspot, with most of the demand stemming from Chennai and Bangalore

2020 has been a surprising year - masks & gloves are a common sight, WFH a lifestyle, and virtual gatherings a part of the routine. However, as India gradually unlocks, more and more people are now ready to step out and explore domestic hidden gems, and thereby, turning the new normal into a way of life - while ensuring personal safety and hygiene. According to OYO Hotels & Homes, the world’s leading hospitality chain, after staying homebound for months on end, this Diwali, Indians are preferring inter-state road trips and beach destinations.

According to OYO’s Diwali booking trends*, Jaipur, Kerala, Goa, Visakhapatnam, and Varanasi top the charts as the most popular leisure destinations among travellers. The data further highlights Jaipur to be the most popular choice among travellers across North India, with an influx of tourists from nearby cities like Delhi NCR and Lucknow. Across South India, travellers from Chennai and Bangalore are heading out on road trips to Kochi in Kerala, the southwest coast of India. Goa, India’s beach capital, on the other hand, is attracting travellers from across the country. The majority of bookings are from Pune, followed by Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Commenting on this trend, Harshit Vyas, SVP & COO - Franchise Business, OYO India & South Asia, said, “The festive season combined with gradual unlocks has resulted in a surge in leisure travel since September 2020. As states open up their borders to welcome tourists, OYO and the entire hospitality industry, continue to offer safe experiences that lead to rising consumer confidence among travellers. As per our Diwali booking trends, with social distancing becoming a way of life and people opting for safer travel options, road trips are here to stay, therefore, leading to an increase in inter-state travel during Diwali and the upcoming holiday season this year. We expect leisure destinations to continue gaining momentum in the coming months with rising consumer optimism for travel. We would also like to express our gratitude towards our asset partners and all employees who have worked tirelessly to ensure that we stand ready to welcome travellers safely once again.”

Sharing his insights on the comeback of leisure travel, Yatish Jain, Head of Online Revenue and Marketing, South Asia - OYO Hotels & Homes said, “Rising optimism among travellers across India this holiday season is a welcome change for the tourism and hospitality ecosystem. As per our consumer use cases,  57% of respondents wish to travel for leisure, with approx. 61% respondents stating that they had already decided the destination for their coming vacation. This is a testament to the steady comeback of travel in the next few months, however, while doing so, 67% of these consumers are also seeking safe stays. Understanding that safety is the consumer’s topmost priority, we at OYO will continue our efforts to ensure safe and hygienic practices with our Contactless Check-ins and Sanitised Before Your Eyes initiatives. To further put things in perspective, as per our Diwali booking trends, we’re happy to share that, we’re witnessing the intent to book is at almost 100% levels as compared to Pre-Covid for consumers visiting on the OYO platform and the traffic is at over 50%. As more and more travellers are exploring local hidden gems resulting in a boost in domestic travel, we are keen to support this trend with our robust presence across 28 states and 8 UTs. As we move forward, we are confident that the current trend will continue with month-on-month growth in 2HFY21.”

As per the overall travel trends across India, between April 2020 and September 2020, observe an uptick in bookings across business destinations including Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Kolkata. On the other hand, among leisure cities, OYO’s booking data also highlights that some cities like Shimla, Manali, Munnar, Ooty and Gangtok that didn’t enjoy high demand compared to other tourist hotspots during pre-COVID days are now increasingly showing positive signs of rising bookings since September 2020. In Shimla, OYO observed a whopping 280% month-on-month growth in bookings for September 2020. Additionally, according to OYO’s recent consumer survey, while there’s a surge in demand for leisure travel across the country, 80% of users are searching for sanitised stays, while 46% of users seek regulation related information while planning their next travel.

To ensure travellers have a safe and pleasant experience, OYO recently launched two initiatives with Sonu Sood, OYO’s asset owner and brand ambassador. ‘Sanitised Before Your Eyes’ is an on-request initiative through which OYO’s guests can request the hotel’s on-ground staff to sanitise high touch spots or frequently touched surfaces right in front of their eyes. The second initiative - ‘Contactless Check-in’ enables guests with a faster and safer digital check-in experience, wherever, whenever, thereby eliminates the need for physical contact on arrival.

About OYO Hotels & Homes:

Opening its doors in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes, a young hotel startup, today is the world’s leading chain of hotels and homes. OYO today operates in over 800 cities in 80 countries, including the U.S., Europe, U.K., India, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan.

Godrej Enters Financial Services Through the Launch of Godrej Housing Finance

 

The Godrej Group, one of India’s leading conglomerates, today announced its entry into the financial services industry. With Godrej Housing Finance (GHF), the Group aims to build a long term, sustainable retail financial services business in India, aiming for a balance sheet of ~INR 10,000 crore in the next three years.

Godrej Housing finance will offer fair, fast and flexible home loans across India starting with customers in Mumbai, NCR, Pune and Bangalore. GHF will partner with developers including Godrej Properties, to build a superior financing experience for their existing and new customers.

Godrej Housing Finance’s product offerings are guided by three pillars - flexibility (enabling customers to customise the payment of their own contribution and EMI schedule), affordability (offering competitive pricing with lowest interest rates starting at 6.69%) and personalisation (using data-driven decision making to micro segment customers and tailor-made loan offerings).

Commenting on the launch of the business, Pirojsha Godrej, Chairman, Godrej Housing Finance, said: “We are excited to launch our financial services business today.  This is the first step in what we hope will be another important pillar of growth for the Godrej Group. The increasing formalisation of the real estate sector combined with the dislocation in the residential real estate and housing finance markets makes this a particularly interesting opportunity at the current moment. We hope to deliver value to the Indian home buyer with a deep focus on fair, fast, and flexible home loans that delight our customers.”

Manish Shah, Managing Director and CEO, Godrej Housing Finance, adds: “We believe that the Housing Finance market is underpenetrated and underserved. The industry is also plagued with being complex and convoluted with hidden conditions and painfully long customer journeys. We aim to correct this and usher a refreshingly simple and transparent way of doing business. We want to give customers a home loan that is customised to what’s important to them, basis their housing needs, financial capability and convenience.”

Godrej Housing Finance intends to focus on the mortgage business starting with home loans, followed shortly by Loans Against Property. In the near future, the company will expand its product portfolio to offer Business and Personal loans, leveraging the Group’s consumer and agri business ecosystems to build these verticals.

About the Godrej Group

Established in 1897, the Godrej Group has its roots in India's Independence and Swadeshi movement. Our founder, Ardeshir Godrej, lawyer-turned-serial entrepreneur failed with a few ventures, before he struck gold with a locks business.

Today, we enjoy the patronage of 1.1 billion consumers globally across consumer goods, real estate, appliances, agriculture and many other businesses. In fact, our geographical footprint extends beyond Earth, with our engines now powering many of India's space missions. With a revenue of approximately USD 5 billion we are growing fast, and have exciting, ambitious aspirations.

But for us, it is most important that besides our strong financial performance and innovative, much-loved products, we remain a good company. Approximately 23 per cent of the promoter holding in the Godrej Group is held in trusts that invest in the environment, health and education. We are also bringing together our passion and purpose to make a difference through our Good & Green strategy of 'shared value' to create a more inclusive and greener India.

At the heart of all of this, are our people. We take much pride in fostering an inspiring workplace, with an agile and high-performance culture. We are also deeply committed to recognising and valuing diversity across our teams.

About Godrej Housing Finance:

Godrej Housing Finance (GHF) is the financial services arm of the Godrej Group. It aims to build a long term, sustainable, retail financial services business in India, deeply anchored around the Godrej Group’s 123-year legacy of trust and excellence.

With a keen focus on product innovation, a digital first approach, data-driven decision making and strong risk fundamentals, Godrej Housing Finance offers home loans, balance transfer and Loans Against Property to customers across Mumbai, NCR, Bangalore and Pune.

It follows a fair, fast and transparent process, that enables millions of Indians to purchase their dream homes - with loans that are flexible, affordable and hyper-personalised to their financial capability and convenience.

Godrej Housing Finance is committed to creating a great people organisation, built on the fundamentals of inclusivity, diversity and equality for all its employees, partners and stakeholders.

Manipal Academy of Higher Education Unveils Roadmap & Directions

Manipal Academy of Higher Education, an Institution of Eminence and one of India’s leading academic and research institutions today unveiled its roadmap ahead on aligning the courses/curriculum to the National Education policy 2020 guidelines and also planning to set up new campuses within the country and abroad as well. In an endeavor to enhance higher education, Lt Gen Dr Venkatesh – Vice Chancellor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education along with Dr. HS Ballal - Pro Chancellor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education and Dr Narayana Sabhahit – Registrar, shared their plans for next 2 years in a virtual conference conducted today.

MAHE has recently signed a Memorandum of understanding with The Ministry of Education (MOE), Government of India for being formally declared as Institution of Eminence. Therefore, MAHE plans to add new institutions, new departments, new programmes in future. Under the new NEP-2020, MAHE plans to introduce new programmes at undergraduate and post graduate level in future. MAHE will also look at opening of new campuses which will help in employment generation. Research, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Collaborations will be the renewed focus area of MAHE.

This year the convocation will be held on 20, 21 and 22nd of November on virtual mode.  Around 3500 graduates have already registered for the convocation. The chief guest are: First day, Dr C Rajkumar, Vice Chancellor, OP Jindal Global University, Second day, Mr Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director, Nestle India Ltd. and Third day, Dr Katsufrakis, President and CEO, National Board of Medical Examiners, Philadelphia, USA. This time MAHE is going for traditional Indian Attire  for the convocation ceremony.

Dr. HS Ballal - Pro Chancellor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education said, Dr TMA Pai – was a visionary.  He was 3 in 1.  Medical Doctor, Banker and Educationist.  He established Academy of General Education in 1942 as a Society registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 to make available technical and commercial education to anyone interested. He started with the intention of providing skill to students who have failed in SSLC – like Carpentry, plumbing, Electricians, Masonary. The Academy established professional colleges for imparting training in medicine, started the first self-financing private Medical Colleges in the country in 1953 against having opposition including his own friends.  Simultaneously started engineering dentistry, pharmacy, Architecture, Law, Education, Management Colleges.

Kasturba Medical College is the flagship of our University.  It is the first self-financing Medical College to be started by our Founder the late Dr TMA Pai in 1953.  Our medical college was the 29th medical college to be started in this county.  Today, we have more than 500 medical colleges in this country and I am very happy and proud to say that we are consistently ranked within the top 10 medical colleges in the country for more than 2 decades.

The dream of Dr TMA Pai to establish a University could not come through during his life time, his beloved son, Dr Ramdas M Pai, present Chancellor of MAHE, took over the reins in the year 1979 and established Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) in 1993 with the conferment of deemed university status by the Government of India under Section 3 of the UGC Act 1956. Dr Ramdas M Pai made Manipal an international University township and also took Indian Higher Education overseas for the first time. His unwavering practice of “Integrity at any cost” has been the bedrock on which today’s Manipal has been built.

Sharing his views, Lt Gen Dr Venkatesh – Vice Chancellor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education said, “Considering the changing dynamics of Education especially in the COVID era, it is a great moment for MAHE to take a giant leap towards aligning courses as per the NEP guidelines and moving towards a more skill- based learning. MAHE has always been at the fore by making education resonate towards employment and innovation. In fact we have also made good progress by using technology to better our Education system and with this new path ahead, we are confident that this will open more avenues for students.”

He further added, “This is a moment of great pride on being conferred with the prestigious Institution of Eminence status in recognition of MAHE’s world – class pedagogy and research being one of the strongest pillars of the institutions. Introduction of NEP policy is a welcome move and therefore MAHE would like to align curriculum in accordance with the guidelines provided as this will pave path for a more holistic, innovative and positive changes in the Higher Education system. While the world is grappling with the Global pandemic it is time we make our education system more resilient, agile and foster a culture of innovation. The NEP policy is truly well structured, progressive and emphasises on flexible undergraduate education that also takes into account technical and vocational disciplines.  MAHE is committed to mobilising students towards a more cohesive and holistic education.”

“Considering the impact of COVID in Education system, the plans for continuing seamless education to students amidst the pandemic were shared.  As per the Government & UGC guidelines, MAHE is planning to invite the students to campuses in a phased manner with the consent of parents. We will follow all Government protocols of maintaining high standards of safety for students on campus with social distancing and regular sanitation. Renewed efforts for assistance to students will be offered for placements and internships via collaboration with Corporates and Industries will be a primary focus”.

Dr Narayana Sabhahit – Registrar, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, “MAHE has always been supportive of students even during these trying times. We have achieved a seamless and uninterrupted education continuity to all our students across all departments/courses. This has been a very challenging time yet the faculty and students have collaborated to sail through the pandemic. We are also seeing a good placement and admission season and are hopeful that things will further pick up. The implementation of NEP policy is a welcome change and will definitely help in building a stronger and value based higher education system.”

About Manipal Academy of Higher Education MAHE, (Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University)

MAHE is now recognized as a leading quality academic and education service provider and has significantly contributed in continuously improving the standards and penetration of higher education in India. It provides a great variety of graduate and postgraduate skill enhancement educational courses covering several important disciplines like medicine, engineering, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, allied health, management, communication, life sciences, hotel administration etc. through its 21 constituent units. It has also teaching and research departments in Statistics, Commerce, Geopolitics & International Relations, European Studies, Philosophy & Humanities, Atomic & Molecular Physics etc. Over 30,000 students from all over the world pursue undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in diverse subjects. The finest of the infrastructure facilities, the state-of-the-art equipment’s, well equipped laboratories and dedicated and competent faculty have enabled the University to be reckoned as one of the best universities, attracting students from all over India and 57 English-speaking countries of the world. The University currently have 2856 faculty and 9035 support and service staff. The University is a Wi-Fi-enabled campus and has excellent facility for sports and games.

The University has two Off-Campus centers, one each at Mangalore and Bangalore, and two Off-Shore campuses, one in Dubai (UAE) and the other in Melaka (Malaysia). The University and its Off-center campuses and Off-shore Campuses have world class infrastructural facilities and follow pedagogy, which are constantly reviewed and upgraded to reflect the latest trends and developments in their respective disciplines.

Godrej Aerospace Partners with ISRO for Successful Launch of the Earth Observation Satellite EOS-01 Using the PSLV-C49

The Indian Space Research Organisation, on 7th November, successfully launched the earth observation satellite, EOS-01 along with 9 international customer satellites from Satish Dhavan Space Centre Sriharikota. The satellites were launched using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C49) in its DL configuration. This was the 51st Mission for PSLV, proved to be one of the best rockets in its category for its reliability.  

Speaking on this occasion, Mr. S M Vaidya, EVP & Business Head, Godrej Aerospace, said, “We are honoured to be associated with ISRO for the successful launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle carrying EOS-01 an earth observation satellite intended for application in agriculture, forestry, and disaster management support. Godrej is proud to have participated in the manufacturing of the Vikas engine for the second stage of the rocket. The launch was very special and unusual as this was the first launch after the COVID-19 pandemic, overcoming many constraints to meet the deadline. At Godrej, we are thrilled to be contributing to India’s space programs and look forward to enhancing our participation for ISRO’s future endeavours.” 

For over three decades, Godrej Aerospace has been associated with ISRO for manufacturing complex systems such as the liquid propulsion engines for PSLV and GSLV rockets, thrusters for satellites, and antenna systems. Godrej Aerospace has also played an integral part in the prestigious Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions. Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. has been proudly committed to the cause of indigenous manufacturing for India’s space programs which are key to propel India’s technological prowess.

About Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. 

Godrej & Boyce (‘G&B’), a Godrej Group company, was founded in 1897, and has contributed to India’s journey of self-reliance through manufacturing. G&B patented the world’s first springless lock and since then, has diversified into 14 businesses across various sectors from Security, Furniture, Aerospace to Infrastructure and Defence. Godrej is one of India’s most trusted brands serving over 1.1bn customers worldwide daily.

Demand for Automobiles Strong Owing to Safety Concerns: PAYBACK-Unomer Consumer Mobility Study

 

* The PAYBACK-Unomer Consumer Mobility survey conducted on Fuel loyalists shows over 30% respondents are considering purchasing a vehicle this festive season  

* Brand preference is dominated by Indian auto brands, with over 60% respondents across India showing such preference 

* One-third respondents indicated that SUVs / Compact SUVs as their top choice, while hatchbacks and sedans seem to be losing popularity  

* Growing interest in the sustainable theme is visible, with the EVs rising in popularity, although the numbers are still low 

A recent study conducted on Fuel loyalists (Consumers who regularly spend on fuel for passenger vehicles, over the last 2 years), shows that the pandemic has fuelled the need for personal mobility and a positive bias to own a vehicle. This was revealed in a consumer mobility study conducted jointly by India’s largest multi-brand loyalty program, PAYBACK and its digital research partner, Unomer.  

The study examined the sentiments and outlook of around 1,000 respondents to ascertain whether they were considering buying an automobile in the festive season, and if so, their preferences. The respondents were chosen basis their fuel purchase behavior in the past 2 years, in the age group of 25 to 50 years across 12 cities including all Metros and Tier 1 cities, with varying income thresholds. Their responses on consideration to purchase, could be for upgrading their current vehicle or an additional one for a family member. 

The study shows that nearly 30% respondents from South & North India are considering buying a new/second-hand vehicle this festive season. Across the regions, Western India shows the lowest preference with two-third respondents having no plans to purchase a vehicle this year.  

Positive bias for purchase is coming primarily from 2 key factors – First is Personal mobility (for work or personal use owing to safety or an additional vehicle for a family member) and the second is deals (discount / lower cost of ownership) and the preference is equally split between the two. Amongst Female fuel loyalists, personal mobility comes out as the foremost criteria, especially from South India, whereas in East India - Deals & Discounts remain the top priority. It is also understood that the availability of public transport has been low, apart from the fact that it may not be easy to maintain social distancing.  

Amongst vehicle categories, SUV/Compact SUV happens to be the most popular choice in the four-wheeler segment with one-third consumers opting for the same, followed by sedans (21%) and hatchbacks (18%), across age-groups and incomes. In the two-wheeler segment, motorcycles were the top choice at 25% preference, ahead of Scooters or Scooty.  

Further, post-Covid there is a growing preference for sustainable choices and the same is reflected in the strengthened voice for green fuel, as the survey states more than 10% show preference for EV/electric-powered vehicles instead of CNG (4%), as the future alternate to petrol.  With female vehicle ownership increasing, there is a rising demand for 2-wheeler EVs on roads and East India leads the same with close to one-fifth voting for EV as one of their top choices.       

Brand preference is dominated by Indian auto brands with over 60% respondents across India showing such preference. Apart from Indian automakers, Japanese (38%) & South Korean (28%) automakers are the popular choices among international brands, while European (6%) and Chinese automakers (4%) did not find as many takers.  

Giving a perspective on this consumer mobility survey, Mr. Ramakant Khandelwal, CMO, PAYBACK India, says, “Our recent consumer studies are geared to study the sentiments of Loyal customers across categories, to enable brands to hone their marketing strategies. Our integrated digital platform helps brands in driving conversations with their users for promotions, engagement or even research & insights. This is our second study in which we have covered yet another key consumer category - Automobiles, following the previous study on Travel, both seeing a sort of resurgence. The output can be further validated by trends on-ground. We will continue to share such insights in the coming days.”   

Also sharing his thoughts on the survey, Vinay Bapna, CEO, Unomer, said “The ability to reach and engage relevant consumers by combining PAYBACK's large base of loyal consumers and Unomer technical and research expertise is a powerful capability that brands can leverage for data-driven decision making. The current survey shows some of the key emerging trends in the automobile segment like preference for local manufacturing, lifestyle aspiration of SUV ownership, and environmental consciousness driven choice of electric vehicles and these can have a direct impact on marketing and product strategies for car manufacturers." 

PAYBACK members are loyal on several spend categories and the platform has been collaborating with top brands to decide the right customer engagement and retention strategies. With a 360-degree understanding of shopping behavior across key categories like travel, groceries, fuel, entertainment, apparel, electronics and more, PAYBACK India is creating opportunities for brands to leverage these insights and craft the right strategies. 

About PAYBACK India: 

PAYBACK is India’s largest multi-brand loyalty program offering its 100 Million+ members multitude of benefits. It has over 100 partners including affiliate brands participating in the PAYBACK Network across categories, in-store as well as online, namely American Express, ICICI Bank, Big Bazaar, Central, HomeTown, Brand Factory, HPCL, Bookmyshow, Cleartrip, Thomas Cook, Amazon, Flipkart and many more. With such a varied portfolio of partners, PAYBACK Members can earn points on everyday shopping and redeem for attractive rewards of their preference. 

PAYBACK India has been a recipient of numerous awards including ‘Best Use of Partnership in a Loyalty Program & Best Big Data Analytics Team of the Year’ – Customer Fest in 2019; ‘Best Card Based Loyalty Program, Best Use of Partnership in a Loyalty Program & Best Big Data Analytics Team of the Year’ – Customer Fest in 2018 and North India Best Employer Award 2018. 

Micron Ships World’s First 176-Layer NAND, Delivering A Breakthrough in Flash Memory Performance and Density

Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU), today announced that it has begun volume shipments of the world’s first 176-layer 3D NAND flash memory, achieving unprecedented, industry-pioneering density and performance. Together, Micron’s new 176-layer technology and advanced architecture represent a radical breakthrough, enabling immense gains in application performance across a range of storage use cases spanning data center, intelligent edge and mobile devices. 

“Micron’s 176-layer NAND sets a new bar for the industry, with a layer count that is almost 40% higher than our nearest competitor’s,” said Scott DeBoer, executive vice president of technology and products at Micron. “Combined with Micron’s CMOS-under-array architecture, this technology sustains Micron’s industry cost leadership.”

Representing Micron’s fifth generation of 3D NAND and second-generation replacement-gate architecture, Micron’s 176-layer NAND is the most technologically advanced NAND node in the market. Compared with the company’s previous generation of high-volume 3D NAND, Micron’s 176-layer NAND improves both read latency and write latency by more than 35% — dramatically accelerating application performance.1 Featuring approximately 30% smaller die size than best-in-class competitive offerings, Micron’s 176-layer NAND’s compact design is ideal for solutions using small form factors.

Groundbreaking technology arms diverse markets with the fullest power of flash

“Micron’s 176-layer NAND enables breakthrough product innovation for our customers,” said Sumit Sadana, executive vice president and chief business officer at Micron. “We are deploying this technology across our broad product portfolio to bring value everywhere NAND is used, targeting growth opportunities in 5G, AI, cloud and the intelligent edge.”

With its versatile design and unrivaled density, Micron’s 176-layer NAND serves as an essential building block in technologists’ toolboxes across a broad array of sectors, including mobile storage, autonomous systems, in-vehicle infotainment, and client and data center solid-state drives (SSDs).

Micron’s 176-layer NAND offers improved quality of service (QoS2), a critical design criterion for data center SSDs.3 This can accelerate data-intensive environments and workloads such as data lakes, artificial intelligence (AI) engines and big data analytics. For 5G smartphones, the enhanced QoS can enable faster launching and switching across multiple apps, creating a more seamless and responsive mobile experience and enabling true multitasking and full use of 5G’s low-latency network.

Micron’s fifth generation of 3D NAND also features an industry-leading maximum data transfer rate at 1,600 megatransfers per second (MT/s) on the Open NAND Flash Interface (ONFI) bus, a 33% improvement.4 The increased ONFI speed leads to faster system bootup and application performance. In automotive applications, this speed will power near instant-on response times for in-vehicle systems as soon as engines are turned on, enhancing the user experience.

Micron is working with industry developers to quickly integrate the new products into solutions. To simplify firmware development, Micron’s 176-layer NAND offers a single-pass programming algorithm, enabling easier integration and speeding time to market.

Micron achieves unparalleled density and cost leadership with novel architecture

With the slowing of Moore’s Law, Micron’s innovation in 3D NAND is critical to ensuring that the industry can keep pace with growing data requirements. To achieve this milestone, Micron has uniquely combined its stacked replacement-gate architecture, novel charge-trap and CMOS-under-array (CuA)5 techniques. Micron’s team of 3D NAND experts achieved rapid advancements with the company’s proprietary CuA technique, which constructs the multilayered stack over the chip’s logic — packing more memory into a tighter space and substantially shrinking the 176-layer NAND’s die size, yielding more gigabytes per wafer.

In tandem, Micron has improved scalability and performance for future NAND generations by transitioning its NAND cell technology from legacy floating gate to charge-trap. This charge-trap technology is combined with Micron’s replacement-gate architecture, which uses highly conductive metal wordlines6 instead of a silicon layer to achieve unparalleled 3D NAND performance. Micron’s adoption of this technology will also enable the company to drive aggressive, industry-leading cost reductions.

Applying these advanced techniques, Micron has increased endurance, which is particularly beneficial in write-intensive use cases — from black boxes in aerospace to video surveillance recording. In mobile storage, 176-layer NAND’s replacement-gate architecture results in 15% faster mixed workload performance7 to power ultra-fast edge computing, enhanced AI inference, and graphic-rich, real-time multiplayer gaming.

Availability

Micron’s 176-layer triple-level cell 3D NAND is in volume production in Micron’s Singapore fab and now shipping to customers, including through its Crucial consumer SSD product lines. The company will introduce additional new products based on this technology during calendar 2021.

Linksys India Launches The New Budget Friendly E5600 WiFi 5 Router

Linksys, the connected home division within the Belkin International and Foxconn Interconnect Technology (FIT) (HK: 6088) entity, announced its latest E-series routers today with the launch of E5600 (AC1200) WiFi 5 router in India.

The budget-friendly router

The E5600 (AC1200) WiFi 5 router is the series’ latest wallet-friendly model that can cover up to 1,000 square feet. The router can handle up to more than 10 devices at speeds up to 1.2 Gbps making it the ideal router for gaming, streaming and web surfing. The E5600 WiFi 5 router is also equipped with advanced security features such as Parental Controls and separate Guest Access that allows users to give guests access while keeping unwanted guests out of the network.

Kartik Bakshi, Country Manager, Linksys India, commented, “Working and learning from home has created a whole new dynamic in the Indian networking industry. Consumers are now investing not only in higher bandwidth connections but also higher quality routers which enable them to get the best experience out of their devices. For Linksys, India plays a pivotal role in our overall global strategic plans and the E5600-AH AC 1200 router is a reflection of that goal. We specifically had the customer in mind when we wanted to create and design a beautiful, yet affordable, well-functioning router tailor made for average size Indian homes.”

All E-series routers will also have the ability to support EasyMesh by 2021. This means that users can future-proof and expand their home network by adding any other EasyMesh compatible routers.