SST unveils world's first low-voltage, high-speed quad I/O serial flash memory for portable devices

Flash memory has found a home in so many of the devices we take for granted today that we hardly even think about memory any more. We all want our phones, GPS devices and other gear to run longer so any power savings that can be made in areas like memory directly correspond to more run time.

SST has announced what it is claiming to be the world's first low-voltage, high-speed quad I/O flash memory. The memory has an operating frequency of 80MHz and a specialized instruction set. The new memory is in the 26WF Series Serial Quad I/O SQI family of 4-bit multiplexed I/O serial interface devices with execute-in-place capability. That means that programs can be stored and executed directly on the flash memory.

The memory has sustained data burst rates of 320Mbit/sec and needs 1.8V of power to operate. SST is aiming the memory at mobile phones, Bluetooth headsets, GPS devices and other small form factor electronics. The memory can erase data swiftly as well with small black sector erasing needing only 25ms and the entire chip erased in 50ms.