That sale should leave TI completely free of the cash-sucking memory business by the end of September.

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Flush with cash from its then- booming memory chip business, Samsung enlisted Nissan in 1994 to build a world-class auto business from scratch.

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While the financial crisis is a fresh memory, he thinks attributing the cash hoarding of the past few years to the 2008 meltdown is a red herring.

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Also on Monday, memory maker Qimonda revealed it faced a cash crunch that could force it into bankruptcy.

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Plunging memory-chip prices mean that Samsung can no longer rely on its cash cow, however.

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