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Chip makers Intel and Micron are in the process of seeing how low each company can go, and it has nothing to do with the Limbo. Instead, it has everything to do with shrinking NAND technology even further with the goal of doubling down the density of their flash chips by the time summer rolls around. Aside from being impressive from a technological point of view, lower density chips ultimately lead to lower cost solid state drives (SSDs).
At the start of the summer, IM Flash Technologies (IMFT), a joint venture between Intel and Micron, plan to release an enterprise-class SSD built on a 20nm manufacturing process and utilizing the PCI-E expansion card standard, ComputerWorld reports.
"This will be the industry's leading drive," Kevin Kilbuck, Micron's director of strategic marketing for Micron's NAND Product Group, told ComputerWorld.
It will be called the P320h and serve as the successor to Micron's original enterprise-class SSD, the P300. Like the original, the P320h will use single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory, as opposed to multi-level cell (MLC) memory, the latter of which is more common in consumer SSDs.
Looking ahead, Intel and Micron will face certain challenges in further reducing the size of NAND flash memory. What's more, not many companies have the intellectual property to produce SSDs at the 20nm level, Kulbuck said. He added, "When we were at 50nm, pretty much anyone could slap together an SSD. At 20nm, it's almost the opposite effect."
Image Credit: Micron
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d3v
April 05, 2011 at 7:38am
Maybe I can afford one once they get to 12nm. But if the last paragraph is any indication there will probably be only 2 companies left on the planet that can make them that small so prices will be kept artificially high.
stumblingblock
April 05, 2011 at 7:29am
I guess I'm confused. INCREASING density will result in REDUCED chip size, and "SHRUNK" density will result in INCREASED chip size. Clarify please. Perhaps unfortunate choice of words.
Paul_Lilly
April 05, 2011 at 7:54am
You're pretty much right on the money. Intel and Micron are in the process of shrinking NAND flash circuitry, doubling the density of flash chips in the process. In theory, that should make SSDs cheaper to produce and result in lower cost SSDs.
warptek2010
April 05, 2011 at 5:34pm
Key word here being SHOULD make SSD's cheaper. But that little blurb in the article about "intellectual property" can't help make me think that it probably WON'T.
Marthian
April 05, 2011 at 4:32pm
which I am pretty sure many of the budget concsious budget enthusiasts like myself are really looking forward to. SSD's are pretty fast, but expensive, which might be why they are not as mainstream as they should be.
