Macronix is phasing out production of ROM chips used in Nintendo Switch game cartridges, according to reporting by the Taipei Times. The Taiwanese semiconductor and memory manufacturer’s CEO, Miin Wu, confirmed the plan. The company will not introduce new ROM products, and the third quarter of 2026 is the last period for which it will report ROM sales separately.
Wu said some new customers are requesting NOR flash memory for data centers. Macronix reported a record net profit of $337 million for the third quarter of 2026, but its ROM business has fallen 39 percent over the past year. ROM now accounts for 5 percent of sales, compared with 26 percent a year earlier.
Macronix is a major source of ROM chips for Switch cartridges, but it is not the only supplier involved in making physical cartridges. The change also does not affect Switch 2 cartridges in the same way: those use NAND flash, a market segment Macronix is not phasing out.
The shift comes as digital purchases make up a growing share of game sales. Digital products account for 61.5 percent of Nintendo’s software sales, while downloads represent around 85 percent of software sales on PlayStation 5 and 96 percent on Xbox platforms.
Sources: Engadget.