Phison opens technology centre in Penang

KUALA LUMPUR: Phison Electronics Corp, a market leader in NAND Flash controllers and applications, has opened its Phisontech Centre in the Northern Corridor Technology Development Centre (NTDC) in Bayan Lepas, Penang.

In a statement here yesterday, its chief executive officer Pua Khein Seng (pic) said the centre would undertake the development and design of flash memory applications and solution products.

Pua, the 38-year-old Malaysian entrepreneur who invented the pen drive, said the assembly of the finished flash memory products would be outsourced to related small and medium enterprises.

Established in November 2000 in Hsinchu, Taiwan, Phison shipped 556 million units of NAND flash controller in 2011.

Pua currently runs the company that has 580 employees, including 50 Malaysian engineers.

Meanwhile, Northern Corridor Implementation Authority's (NCIA) director of corporate services Zuhairi Mohmad said the endeavour was estimated to bring in almost RM60mil in the next five years.

A part of that initiative will increase the development of flash-drive technology research and development (R&D) in Northern Corridor, which in the future may be a key contributor to Malaysia's LED cluster.

The opening of the centre will enable Phison Electronics to also train and develop Malaysian engineering talent and to conduct more research & development on integrated circuit and systems targeting global market from Malaysia. - Bernama