Announcing x4(TM) Technology Breakthrough, msystems(TM) Takes the NAND Industry to the Next Level.KFAR SABA Kfar Saba (Hebrew: כפר סבא) ("Grandfather's Village" or Saba's Village"), also Kefar Sava, is a city in the Sharon area, Center District of Israel in Israel. , Israel -- Ground-breaking 4-bit per cell NAND flash See flash memory. technology is designed to revolutionize NAND flash manufacturing economics, increase fab profitability and fuel new generations of multimedia-rich, consumer electronics devices msystems(TM) (Nasdaq:FLSH), a leader in smart personal storage, today announced x4(TM) technology, a technological breakthrough 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 (Not AND) A Boolean logic operation that is true if any single input is false. Two-input NAND gates are often used as the sole logic element on gate array chips, because all Boolean operations can be created from NAND gates. See flash memory. 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 is a flash memory technology using multiple levels per cell to allow more bits to be stored as opposed to SLC NAND flash technologies, which use a single level per cell. (MLC (MultiLevel Cell) A flash memory technology that stores more than one bit per cell. Traditional flash memory defines a 0 or 1 bit based on a single voltage threshold. ) NAND flash wafers manufactured to date through equivalent lithography lithography (lĭthŏg`rəfē), type of planographic or surface printing. It is distinguished from letterpress (relief) printing and from intaglio printing (in which the design is cut or etched into the plate). . This is accomplished by doubling bit density in comparison with such MLC NAND flash, and quadrupling quad·ru·ple adj. 1. Consisting of four parts or members. 2. Four times as much in size, strength, number, or amount. 3. Music Having four beats to the measure. n. it when compared with single-level cell A Single-Level Cell, SLC, memory card stores one bit in each cell, leading to faster transfer speeds, lower power consumption and higher cell endurance. The only disadvantage of Single-Level Cell is the manufacturing cost per MB. (SLC (Subscriber Loop Carrier) Lucent's designation for its digital loop carrier (DLC) products. See digital loop carrier. See also 386SLC. ) NAND flash. Furthermore, as msystems' x4 technology requires no changes to manufacturing processes, it stands to increase fab profitability. "This is a phenomenal day for NAND flash manufacturers and the consumer electronics market, as well as for msystems," said Dov Moran, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of msystems. "x4 technology is msystems' highest peak in a sixteen-year trail of continuous innovation and systems-level expertise as well as the culmination of five years of dedicated research and development efforts. Based on msystems' robust flash management patent portfolio, x4 technology represents a quantum leap quantum leap n. An abrupt change or step, especially in method, information, or knowledge: "War was going to take a quantum leap; it would never be the same" Garry Wills. forward for the flash industry, underlining un·der·lin·ing n. 1. The act of drawing a line under; underscoring. 2. Emphasis or stress, as in instruction or argument. our ongoing commitment to making personal storage smarter. Judging by the undisputed success of 2-bit/cell MLC NAND flash technology and the significant cost savings x4 technology is designed to deliver to NAND flash manufacturers, we believe x4 NAND components are set to further push flash memory from prevalent to pervasive, ushering in Noun 1. ushering in - the introduction of something new; "it signalled the ushering in of a new era" first appearance, introduction, debut, entry, launching, unveiling - the act of beginning something new; "they looked forward to the debut of their new product line" new generations of affordable, multimedia-rich, personal storage for consumer electronics devices." 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 See USB drive. . 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. "The NAND flash market is experiencing phenomenal growth fueled by the digital revolution. Building new manufacturing fabs to satisfy tremendous demand requires huge investments, and such efforts may not be recognized in a fiercely competitive environment," said Joseph Unsworth, principal research analyst, Gartner. "Technology developments that leverage existing NAND manufacturing processes can be critical in helping manufacturers achieve significant cost savings without the burden of major capital expenditures, thereby enabling higher profitability." A proprietary technology, x4 is well rooted in msystems' vast flash management expertise, such as its renowned TrueFFS(R) 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. About msystems msystems has been transforming raw flash material into smarter storage solutions since 1989. From embedded Inserted into. See embedded system. flash drives deployed in millions of mobile handsets to U3 USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. smart drives designed for leading global brands, msystems creates, develops, manufactures and markets smart personal storage solutions for a myriad of applications targeting high growth markets. msystems' product lines include: --mDrive (formerly DiskOnKey(R)) U3 USB smart drives for personal, portable computing --mDOC embedded flash drives for mobile handsets and consumer electronics devices --mSIM MegaSIM(R) series high-density SIM cards and mSIM M.MAR(R) series SIM cards and highly secure cards (available both from msystems and its subsidiary Microelectronica) --mCard, high-quality memory cards for mobile handsets and digital cameras --mTrust (formerly Xkey(R)) end-to-end enterprise access, control and management solution for USB flash drives and other removable media In computer storage, removable media refers to storage media which can be removed from its reader device, conferring portability on the data it carries. A removable drive is a reader device for such media. --mSSD (formerly FFD FFD film-focal distance. (TM)) rugged solid state disks for mission-critical applications --mModule (formerly DiskOnChip(R) modular family) modular flash storage for embedded systems Embedded systems Computer systems that cannot be programmed by the user because they are preprogrammed for a specific task and are buried within the equipment they serve. --mSafe (formerly SuperMAP(R) family) secure hardware and software crypto See cryptography. cores More information is available online at www.m-systems.com. msystems. made smarter. Note to Editors: High-resolution photo images of msystems' products can be found on the Internet at www.m-systems.com/site/en-US/Corporate/PressRoom/ImageLibrary. All company and product names mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are used for identification purposes only. msystems is incorporated as M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. This press release includes forward-looking statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995 including new products and technologies which are based on current expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as they are subject to various risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to vary significantly. These risks include, but are not limited to: risk associated with the development and implementation of x4 technology and any costs or losses associated with its development and/or implementation, including difficulties in utilization of 4-bit/cell NAND flash, unforeseen difficulties that flash manufacturers may experience in implementing x4 technology in the production of x4 technology enabled flash components, including unexpected changes in the manufacturing process and unexpected delays in the production of such flash components, the failure of manufacturers to realize costs savings through the utilization of x4 technology, the failure of x4 technology to fuel new generations of consumer electronic devices and generally any decline or lack of growth in the demand for NAND flash memory, any failure we may experience in perfecting and/or protecting our intellectual property rights related to x4 technology, any failure, delays or difficulties we may experience in negotiating new partnerships with flash manufacturers utilizing our x4 technology that are profitable for us, and the risk that such partnerships may ultimately not be profitable for us, and generally any failure or difficulty we may experience in utilizing the benefits x4 technology to our advantage and any losses that we may suffer from the development or utilization of x4 technology; the risk that our competitors may develop other technologies that compete with or are superior to our x4 technology and that flash manufacturers may opt to utilize such other technologies and not our x4 technology; the effect of global economic conditions in general and conditions in M-Systems' industry and target markets in particular, shifts in supply and demand, market acceptance, the impact of competitive products and pricing, product development, commercialization and technological difficulties, slower adoption rate for these new products or technologies, and capacity and supply constraints including dependence on flash component suppliers; changes in M-Systems' and its customers' inventory levels and inventory valuations; timely product and technology development/upgrades and the ability to manage changes in market conditions as needed as needed prn. See prn order. ; market acceptance of new products and continuing product demand; the impact of competitive products and pricing on msystems' and its customers' products and markets; the development, release and sale of new products by strategic suppliers and customers; the development and growth of anticipated markets for M-Systems' and its customers' products; and other risk factors detailed from time to time in M-Systems' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. M-Systems assumes no obligation to update the information in this press release and disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Reference to M-Systems' website above does not constitute incorporation of any of the information thereon into this press release. |
|
||||||||||||||

Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion