The new 128Gb MLC NAND is made using 20nm process and the 64Gb NAND entering production uses the same 20nm process. The 128Gb NAND is MLC and it is the first in the industry to allow a terabit of storage in a device the since of a fingertip using eight die. It offers twice the performance and capacity of the existing 64Gb flavor.

Micron notes that the 128Gb device meets ONFI 3.0 specifications and hits speeds of 333 megatransfers per second. Intel and Micron expect samples of the 128Gb NAND to be available in January. Mass production is expected in the first half of 2012. The 64Gb versions in production right now and will allow quick ramping to the new 128Gb chips.

Flash memory is found inside every smartphone out there and even if we don’t want smaller screens, smaller components also mean that your gear can keep the big screen and get smaller and slurp less power. A thinner iPhone with longer battery life sounds pretty good to me. Smaller memory often means less power consumed to operate the hardware leading to longer battery life. SanDisk is one of the largest makers of NAND flash memory chips in the world and a lot of the gadgets you are carrying around today probably use NAND from SanDisk. The company has announced a new breakthrough process technology for its NAND making plant.

The new tech brings to the geek work the world’s smallest and most advanced process node. The tech allows SanDisk to build a 64Gb, 2-bit-per-cell (X2) monolithic chip made on a 19nm process technology. The 19nm 64Gb X2 device will start high-volume production in the second half of this year. The solution will use SanDisk ABL technology and proprietary processing algorithms in MLC NAND chips. SanDisk will also add X3 or 3-bits-per-cell technology to the line up in H2 2011.

[via SanDisk]

Toshiba reports that the SmartNAND was developed specially to remove the burden of ECC from the host processor inside a device and to minimize the protocol changes needed. This allows for the simplification of the host-side design and the SmartNAND is ideal for use in media players, tablets, digital TVs, set-top boxes and all manner of other electronic devices and gadgets needing high-density non-volatile memory.

Toshiba is going to offer the SmartNAND in 4GB to 64GB flavors. I am sure we will see this stuff inside gear from Toshiba with its TVs and this looks like the perfect memory for smartphones of the future as well such as the iPhone. The 24nm product is a replacement for the current 32nm devices that Toshiba offers and is capable of faster read and write speeds. The smartNAND family will land mid-April and mass production is set for the April to June quarter.

The Pulsar XT.2 is SLC NAND-based and is available in 100GB, 200GB, and 400GB capacities. It features native SAS 6Gb/s interface. According to Seagate: “The Pulsar XT.2 is the fastest drive in the Seagate portfolio, with sustainable random reads at 48K and writes at 22K IOPS and sequential reads at 360MB/s and writes at 300MB/s.”

The Pulsar XT.2 is currently shipping to OEMs, and both of the SSDs will be available beginning in Q2 2011.
[via Xbit Laboratories]

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If you are hoping to find a WinPo 7 device that uses traditional NAND flash for better performance, a device that may be perfect for you has been found. The LG Optimus 7 uses 16GB of NAND flash memory inside rather than a microSD card. The use of that NAND flash means that the memory is much higher performance than a microSD card equipped device.

The NAND flash is cited as the reason why the Optimus 7 performs better than some other WinPo 7 smartphones. You can see from the image here shot by an Optimus 7 owner of the board from their device that the storage is directly connected to the board of the phone.

Via Mobility Minded

Hardware

We’re used to SSDs being packaged in basic cardboard boxes – and Samsung do offer an OEM version of the 470 Series drive with more mundane packaging and a basic casing – so this new 256GB is particularly distinctive. The plastic packaging is reminiscent of an iPod, while the SSD itself is finished in glossy plastic and brushed metal with bright orange highlights. Most of the time you’ll never see it past installation, of course, but it has a premium feel that sets it apart from the more business-like Intel X25-M.

The drive itself is a 2.5-inch model with a SATA 3GB/s interface. This 256GB SKU is the largest – Samsung also offers 64GB and 128GB versions, the capacity neatly stencilled onto the corner of the drive – and uses homegrown Samsung controllers and NAND flash. There are also two 128MB cache chips, for a total of 256MB.

Samsung quote 250 MB/s read rates and 220 MB/s write rates, along with 0.24W active power consumption and 0.14W when idle. It’s worth noting that the 470 Series’ TRIM support is only useful if you’re running Windows 7, since Mac OS X lacks support for the technology. This won’t affect Mac performance out of the box, but over the lifetime of the drive its speeds will be better – or, more accurately, will degrade by a smaller amount – in a Windows 7 computer.

Performance

We first looked at sequential read and write speeds, comparing the 470 Series SSD with Intel’s X25-M 160GB SSD. On our test Windows 7 PC, sequentially transferring a 1GB file saw the Samsung hit 248.2 MB/s read speeds and 241.7 MB/s write speeds, while the Intel managed 235 MB/s and 98.0 MB/s respectively.

Moving to random 512K files, the Samsung managed 172.0 MB/s reads and 185.2 MB/s writes, while the Intel came in at 177.2 MB/s and 88.9 MB/s respectively. Finally, on random 4K files, the Samsung scored 15.9 MB/s read and 58.2 MB/s write, while the Intel scored 18.5 MB/s and 53.1 MB/s respectively.

Under OS X, meanwhile, the Samsung managed 117.0 MB/s reads and 231.1 MB/s writes with sequential 4K blocks, and 203.6 MB/s and 192.2 MB/s with sequential 256K blocks. Finally, with random 4K blocks it scored 13.4 MB/s read and 78.98 MB/s write, while with random 256K blocks it managed 147.2 MB/s read and 196.2 MB/s write.

Plenty of numbers, then, but the takeaway is that the Samsung generally balances its read and write performance more than the Intel is capable of. Writing large files is a particular strength of the 470 Series SSD, at more than double what the X25-M could manage. It’s worth remembering that these large file rates are measured across the whole transfer period, and while the drives will hit those speeds it won’t consistently manage them. Still, it’s only just below what Samsung quotes for read rates, and exceeds their write rate predictions.

Wrap-Up

With an RRP of around $550, the 256GB 470 Series SSG certainly isn’t cheap. However, what you do get is a solid, well-balanced shot of performance in not only read-rates, as most SSDs (and indeed faster HDDs) manage, but in write-rates, which is a rarer talent. The appealing aesthetics may be wasted on anybody without a windowed case, but it adds to an overall feel of this being a polished product.

Mac performance was less impressive, and the absence of TRIM support under OS X is worth bearing in mind since it will impact longer-term performance, but that’s an issue affecting all SSDs running on Apple machines. With an RRP of $280, the 128GB version Samsung offers may be a more affordable option, but for those demanding capacity and performance the Samsung 256GB 470 Series SSD certainly delivers.

Gallery

The current toggle DDR 1.0 spec uses a DDR interface with a conventional single data rate NAND design. The chips using this specification have a 133Mbps interface. The new NAND using toggle 2.0 will offer 400Mbps interface for an improvement of three times over the DDR 1.0 spec.

The new NAND using the toggle 2.0 specifications will provide a ten times increase in performance compared to 40Mbps single data rate NAND still in use today. Support for the new spec will make for faster acceptance of toggle DDR memory with designers of hardware and applications according to both firms.

The new NAND uses MLC 32Gb tech and is built on the 20nm process. The NAND will be used in smartphones, memory cards, and other devices. Samsung claims the new 20nm NAND has 50% higher productivity than 30nm MLC NAND.

The write performance of memory cards using the new NAND of 8GB and higher will be 30% faster than 30nm NAND memory cards with 20MB/s read and 10MB/s write. Samples of memory cards using the new NAND are shipping now and production will be expanded later this year.

Despite consisting of a stack of sixteen 32Gb NAND chips and a controller, the 64GB moviNAND embedded module is only 1.4mm high.  It opens up the possibility of capacious PMPs and smartphones offering speedy solid-state memory the amounts of which you’d previously have had to turn to compact HDDs to achieve.

As for the 32GB microSD card, while that may only have half the storage of the moviNAND module it will at least be of more use to existing devices.  It’s expected to go into mass production next month, while the moviNAND module has been in production since December 2009.

Press Release:

Samsung Announces 30nm-class, High-density NAND Flash for Mobile Devices

SEOUL, Korea — January 13, 2009 — Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, today announced two high-density memory solutions for mobile devices. The new storage solutions – a 64-gigabyte (GB) moviNANDTM memory device and a 32GB micro secure digital (microSD) memory card – satisfy mobile handset designers’ requirements for advanced compact high-density memory.

“Samsung’s high-density memory solutions bring the storage capacity levels of computing systems to small, mobile devices,” said Dong-Soo Jun, executive vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Electronics.

He added, “The 64GB embedded memory, moviNAND, and the 32GB microSD card each greatly expand the data storage density of mobile devices, meeting customers’ memory requirements and ushering in a new era of mobile and IT device capacity growth.”

The memory solutions are based on Samsung’s advanced 32 gigabit (Gb) NAND flash. The 64GB moviNAND, which measures 1.4mm in height, consists of 16 30nm-class 32Gb MLC NAND chips and a controller. The 17-die stack was achieved by using 30-micron thick chips and advanced package technology. With the new 64GB solution, Samsung’s proprietary embedded memory, moviNAND, is now available in 64GB, 32GB, 16GB, 8GB and 4GB densities.

The 32GB microSD card, developed this month, stacks eight 32Gb NAND components and a card controller. The industry’s highest capacity, production-ready microSD card is enabled by the use of Samsung’s advanced 30-nm class 32Gb NAND flash memory technology. Previously, the highest density microSD card in production had a 16GB capacity and was based on 40nm-class 16Gb NAND. The new 32GB card is 1mm-thick. The portion of the card that is inserted into a handset measures just 0.7 mm in height.

According to market research firm iSuppli, the global NAND flash memory market for 32GB and higher memory cards is forecast to be 530 million units in 2010 and reach 9.5 billion units by 2013 (in 16Gb equivalent units).

Samsung’s new 64GB moviNAND has been in mass production from December 2009, while the 32GB microSD is now being sampled with OEMs, with mass production expected next month.

Production of the chips started at the end of November and Samsung reports that the new chips will be used in NAND flash modules and paired with exclusive Samsung 3-bit NAND controllers to produce 8GB microSD cards.

Samsung claims that the 3-bit MLC chips increase the efficiency of data storage by 50% over the 2-bit MLC ships common today. The chips will also be used in flash drives in addition to the range of microSD cards. Samsung offers no time frame for expecting products using the new NAND to reach market.

Mass production of the chip is expected to begin in Q4 2009, allowing OEMs to produce smaller devices at more cost-effective prices.  Micron and Intel will announce their 2xnm technology later on in the year, even smaller memory that will enable more compact and efficient devices.

Press Release:

INTEL, MICRON ACHIEVE INDUSTRY’S MOST EFFICIENT NAND PRODUCT USING 3-BIT-PER-CELL TECHNOLOGY

Companies Hit Manufacturing Milestone Taking Advantage of 34-Nanometer NAND Process, To Deliver 32-Gigabit Density

SANTA CLARA, Calif. and BOISE, Idaho, Aug. 11, 2009 – Intel Corporation and Micron Technology Inc. today announced the development of a new 3-bit-per-cell (3bpc) multi-level cell (MLC) NAND technology, leveraging their award-winning 34-nanometer (nm) NAND process. The chips are typically used in consumer storage devices such as flash cards and USB drives, where high density and cost-efficiency are paramount.

Designed and manufactured by IM Flash Technologies (IMFT), their NAND flash joint venture, the new 3bpc NAND technology produces the industry’s smallest and most cost-effective 32-gigabit (Gb) chip that is currently available on the market. The 32Gb 3bpc NAND chip is 126mm². Micron is currently sampling and will be in mass production in the fourth quarter 2009. With the companies’ continuing to focus on the next process shrink, 3bpc NAND technology is an important piece of their product strategy and is an effective approach in serving key market segments.

“We see 3bpc NAND technology as an important piece of our roadmap,” said Brian Shirley, vice president of Micron’s memory group. “We also continue to move forward on further shrinks in NAND that will provide our customers with a world-leading portfolio of products for many years to come. Today’s announcement further highlights that Micron and Intel have made great strides in 34-nanometer NAND, and we look forward to introducing our 2xnm technology later this year.”

“The move to 3bpc is yet another proof point to the remarkable progress Intel and Micron have made in 34-nm NAND development,” said Randy Wilhelm, Intel vice president and general manager, Intel NAND Solutions Group. “This milestone sets the stage for continued silicon leadership on 2xnm process that will help decrease costs and increase the capabilities of our NAND solutions for our customers.”

The flash memory will be available for mass consumption by July. The new process employed here uses a 32-gigabit chip, which is 4GB, and when stacked 8 tall, you end up with 32GB of total memory in one tiny space.

While we don’t know who will receive the larger flash memory first, it does seem likely that Toshiba will be providing the memory for the iPhone 3.0. The company also notes that USB storage with the new memory capacity will be their first products to carry the 32 nm chip.

[via Engadget]

The 16Gb chips allow for 2GB of storage space, so this could point to the imminent release of 32GB iPhones, which would make an appearance sometime this summer. Sure, it’s possible that more 16GB iPhones could be on the way, but that seems unlikely, especially since the company has been working furiously to unload their current inventory.

We’ll just have to wait and see where the 16Gb memory is used, but all of the iPhone 3.0 rumors floating around seem to sync up nicely with this expanded memory order. We’ll keep you posted.

Low supply and higher demand will drive the prices up for the near future. DigiTimes cites their source:

As Toshiba, Hynix Semiconductor, Intel and Micron Technology have allocated less chip supplies to the Asia market since early April, downstream memory suppliers are striving to grab more NAND flash chips to meet substantial volumes of short lead-time orders from device makers, the sources indicated.  Spot prices for mainstream MLC NAND flash trended upward during the week of March 27-April 2, as a result of tightening supplies, data gathered by inSpectrum show.

This move by Apple is a good sign for those looking forward to a new iPhone this summer. Apple has been known to place large orders of NAND chips and other supplies right before a large product launch.  This could be a signal for a new iPhone, and provide the supplies for the next generations of iPods as well.  The iPhone 3.0 software update announced in March is expected to be released at the WWDC in June, and many are expecting the announcement of a new iPhone as well.