What Unisantis Electronics does

Unisantis Electronics is a Singapore-incorporated, privately held semiconductor technology licensing company founded in 2004 by Dr. Fujio Masuoka — the inventor of NOR flash, NAND flash, and the Gate-All-Around (GAA) MOSFET — and CEO Balachandran 'Bala' Manyadath. The company develops and patents three core device-architecture technologies: the vertical Surrounding Gate Transistor (SGT), a vertical GAA nanowire FET enabling 20–30% smaller SRAM cells than lateral GAA; Stacked Dynamic Flash Memory (DFM), a capacitor-less DRAM alternative using the floating-body effect with 2–3 gates that achieves 4F2 to 2F2 equivalent cell sizes across 4–8 tiers; and Key-shaped Floating Body Memory (KFBM), a 1T0C embedded memory that delivers 5X the density of embedded SRAM with only two additional CMOS masks. An additional design program, FX RAM, is in development under VP of Design Dr. Takashi Ohsawa (joined 2024).

The company's business model is direct enterprise licensing of these patented technologies to integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), foundries, and fabless semiconductor companies, with revenue generated through negotiated licensing fees and royalties; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The IP portfolio comprises 696 granted/allowed patents and 150 pending applications, including foundational GAA patents filed decades before industry adoption of GAA at advanced nodes. R&D is executed through a small core team (1–10 employees) supplemented by deep partnerships with imec (joint EUV-enabled SGT-SRAM development targeting N5), Tohoku University, Singapore's A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics, and tool/EDA relationships with GlobalFoundries and Silvaco. The company maintains a steady cadence of technical publications and presentations at IEDM, VLSI, SSDM, IMW, and Flash Memory Summit to support licensing discussions with its narrow enterprise customer base.

Name

Unisantis Electronics

Legal name

Unisantis Electronics Singapore PTE Limited

Website

https://unisantis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor IP Licensing

NAICS

Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344), Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794), Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674)

akta.pro primary industry

Hardware/Chip Design IP Cores (Processor, Interface, Analog, Security) (HDAHAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

DRAM (DDR/LPDDR/HBM) (HDAHAKAA), Advanced SoCs & Application Processors (HDAHAAAB), Persistent/Non-Volatile Memory (MRAM/ReRAM/PCM/FeRAM) (HDAHAKAF)

Keywords

• Semiconductor IP licensing
• Gate-all-around transistors
• Capacitor-less memory
• Embedded memory solutions
• DRAM alternative technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: Unisantis develops and licenses its patented semiconductor technologies (SGT, DFM, KFBM) to IDMs, foundries, and fabless companies. Revenue is generated through licensing fees and ongoing royalties based on technology adoption and volume.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Unisantis Electronics develops and licenses patented semiconductor memory and transistor technologies — including Stacked Dynamic Flash Memory (DFM), Key-shaped Floating Body Memory (KFBM), and the Vertical Surrounding Gate Transistor (SGT) — to IDMs, foundries, and fabless semiconductor companies. The technologies target higher density, lower power, and improved cost per bit versus conventional DRAM, eDRAM, eSRAM, and lateral GAA transistor architectures. The IP portfolio spans over 600 patents covering logic and memory innovations originated by flash memory inventor Dr. Fujio Masuoka.

Product overview

Unisantis Electronics is a semiconductor technology licensing company that has developed three core patented technologies: Stacked Dynamic Flash Memory (DFM) for external main memory as a DRAM alternative/supplement, Key-shaped Floating Body Memory (KFBM) for embedded on-chip memory as an eDRAM/eSRAM replacement, and the Surrounding Gate Transistor (SGT) as a vertical Gate-All-Around transistor for ultra-low power logic and SRAM applications. Additionally, FX RAM is in development under the Design department. The company licenses these technologies to IDMs, foundries, and fabless semiconductor companies. The technology portfolio is protected by over 600 patents globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stacked Dynamic Flash Memory (DFM) Stacked DFM is a capacitor-less DRAM alternative/supplement that exploits the floating body effect using a single transistor with two or three gates. It offers significant bit cost (Gb/mm2) improvements over traditional 1T1C DRAM, with power-efficient operation thanks to non-destructive reads and reduced refresh overhead. Can be stacked vertically or horizontally to achieve equivalent cell sizes of 4F2 to 2F2. Licensed to IDMs, foundries, and fabless semiconductor companies for external main memory applications.
• Key-shaped Floating Body Memory (KFBM) KFBM is a capacitor-less embedded memory using a single transistor (1T0C) that stores charge in the transistor body via the floating body effect. It offers 5X the density of embedded SRAM with full CMOS compatibility, requiring only two additional masks. Ideal for L3/LLC caches, on-chip bulk memory, and chiplet implementations. Licensed to fabless semiconductor companies and SoC design teams.
• Surrounding Gate Transistor (SGT) SGT is a vertical Gate-All-Around (GAA) FET with a nanowire channel that enables a 3D layout configuration with vertically-defined gate length. It provides improved area density over planar, FinFET, and lateral GAA transistors, with lower leakage power and higher ION/IOFF ratio. Particularly advantageous for ultra-low power SRAM and logic applications. Licensed to semiconductor manufacturers for advanced process nodes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5X higher memory density compared to embedded SRAM using KFBM
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ImeccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development partnership with imec for ultra-scaled EUV-enabled Surrounding Gate Transistor (SGT) SRAM cells. Collaboration developed process flow targeting SGT 6T-SRAM cells with areas of 0.0184-0.0205 square micrometer, achieving 24% improved scaling compared to smallest published SRAM designs and meeting N5 technology node requirements. Imec contributed cleanroom platform and R&D expertise.
• Tohoku UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with Dr. Fujio Masuoka's institution following his departure from Toshiba. Continued research into 3D transistors and semiconductor technology development.
• Institute of Microelectronics (IME), ASTARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics for initial vertical SGT development. IME provided research infrastructure and expertise for early SGT technology development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Arm Holdings: Arm licenses processor and related semiconductor IP to the same ecosystem of chip companies Unisantis targets. While much broader in scope (CPUs, GPUs, NPUs), it is the canonical fabless IP licensor with a similar per-chip royalty model.
• Cadence Design Systems: Cadence provides EDA tools and semiconductor IP including memory and interface IP. Comparable as a broad incumbent supplying design and IP infrastructure to the same fabless/IDM customer base Unisantis addresses.
• Synopsys: Synopsys is a leading EDA and semiconductor IP provider, including memory compilers and interface IP. Overlaps with Unisantis as a provider of memory-related IP to fabless and IDM chip designers, though Synopsys operates at vastly larger scale and breadth.

Direct peers

• CEVA: CEVA licenses DSP, AI, and wireless IP to semiconductor and OEM customers on a royalty model. Comparable to Unisantis as a pure-play fabless IP licensor with a similar go-to-market motion targeting chip designers.
• eMemory Technology: eMemory is a fabless embedded non-volatile memory (NVM and OTP) IP licensor serving foundries and fabless customers. Directly comparable to Unisantis's KFBM business as an embedded memory IP licensor monetising per-chip royalties.
• Rambus: Rambus is a semiconductor IP licensor focused on memory and high-speed interface technologies. Comparable to Unisantis as a pure-play fabless IP licensor monetising memory and interconnect patents through licensing and royalties to IDMs, foundries, and OEMs.
• Silicon Storage Technology (SST, Microchip): SST (now part of Microchip) licenses SuperFlash and other embedded NVM IP to foundries and IDMs. Directly comparable as a memory IP licensor using a fabless model and patent-based licensing/royalty revenue stream.
• Imagination Technologies: Imagination Technologies licenses GPU, AI, and connectivity IP to semiconductor companies. Shares Unisantis's pure-IP licensing model and customer base of fabless and IDM chip designers; an Unisantis advisor previously served as its Chief Strategy Officer / de facto COO.

Emerging players

• Everspin Technologies: Everspin commercialises MRAM technology including standalone and embedded MRAM. Comparable to Unisantis as a non-traditional memory company targeting both embedded and discrete memory applications with proprietary cell technology.
• Crossbar: Crossbar develops Resistive RAM (RRAM) as an emerging memory alternative and licenses the technology. Comparable to Unisantis as an early-stage emerging memory IP company pursuing licensing-based commercialisation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UnisantisE

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Unisantis Electronics