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| x4 Technology Announced by msystems msystems has announced x4 technology designed to revolutionize NAND flash manufacturing economics, increase fab profitability with no changes to manufacturing processes, and fuel new generations of multimedia-rich, consumer electronics devices. As a proprietary msystems' technology encompassing unparalleled flash management and control algorithms, x4 technology is designed to enable utilization of 4-bit/cell NAND flash, previously considered to be a practical and physical impossibility. x4 NAND components, likely to be mass produced during 2007, are to be comprised of the first-ever 4-bit/cell NAND flash media and an indispensable x4 technology controller. Thanks to msystems' technological breakthrough, NAND flash manufacturers are expected to realize over 30% cost savings in comparison with the most advanced 2-bit/cell multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash wafers manufactured to date through equivalent lithography. This is accomplished by doubling bit density in comparison with such MLC NAND flash, and quadrupling it when compared with single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash. Furthermore, as msystems' x4 technology requires no changes to manufacturing processes, it stands to increase fab profitability. With a decrease in price per gigabyte (GB) of more than 80 percent over the past three years, NAND flash storage is the memory medium of choice for a plethora of devices in the consumer electronics space. msystems' x4 NAND components are expected to target consumer electronics devices, such as digital audio (MP3) players, consumer solid state drives (SSDs), portable media players, digital video cameras, GPS devices, multimedia and music handsets, memory cards and USB flash drives. Driven by the widespread availability of personal storage devices, the demand for NAND flash memory is expected to grow by leaps and bounds. In recent research, Gartner forecast that the NAND flash market would grow from $11.96 billion in 2005 to $24.70 billion in 2010. Decreasing prices and surging demand have pushed manufacturers to look for new ways to maximize bit density per wafer, in the hope of driving fab profitability and return on investment. msystems' x4 technology, through its ability to transparently quadruple the density of SLC NAND flash wafers, has been developed to provide this sought-after advantage. A proprietary technology, x4 is well rooted in msystems' vast flash management expertise, such as its renowned TrueFFS technology, its system-solution approach and robust intellectual property portfolio. Several x4 technology partnerships are currently being evaluated by msystems, and are likely to lead to mass production of x4 NAND components during 2007. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Computing News :: home page |