Toshiba Corp is reportedly supplying its 1M-bit memory to Oki Electric Co for assembly, whereupon Oki is exporting the assembled chips to IBM : the exact procedure and quantities involved are not known yet, but the alliance is significant because it is the first attempt for 1M makers to work in co operation, and to ship their product to a foreign company; although IBM has a major captive 1M manufacturing operation of its own, it still can’t meet all its needs in-house, and has also been buying in Japan under long term contracts, but the suppliers have never been named; earlier this year, enormous demand from IBM was being blamed for exacerbating the shortage of the parts in Japan.
