Solid state: Rethinking the 256-kb RAM: Creativity in the factory may be more important than innovation in product design

Now that the Japanese dominate the market for 64-K dynamic random-access memories, will they also crowd out United States competitors in the market for 256-kilobit RAMs? At least two Japanese companies ‾ Hitachi Ltd. and Fujitsu Ltd., both in Tokyo ‾ will start commercial production of 256-kbchips as soon as 1983, two years earlier than most industry observers had predicted and at least one year earlier than U.S. merchant companies. Hitachi is already the leading supplier of 64-K chips, with 40 percent of the international market, while Fujitsu ranks second with 20 percent of the market, according to Dataquest Inc., market researchers in Cupertino, Calif.