Samsung First to Mass Produce 16Gb NAND Flash Memory.Using Finest Process Technology to Accelerate Data Speeds SEOUL, South Korea -- Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics (SEC, Hangul:삼성전자; KSE: 005930, KSE: 005935, LSE: SMSN, LSE: SMSD) is a South Korean multinational corporation and the world's largest and leading electronics and information technology company. Co., Ltd., a leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced today that it has become the first to begin mass producing 16 gigabit (Gb) NAND flash See flash memory. , the highest capacity memory chip now available. The company said it will fabricate the devices in 51 nanometers (nm), the finest process technology to be used in memory mass production to date. "In rolling out the densest NAND flash in the world, we are throwing open the gates to a much wider playing field for flash-driven consumer electronics," said Jim Elliott, director, flash marketing, Samsung Semiconductor. "To minimize production costs and improve performance, we have applied the finest process technology a 'half generation' ahead of the industry, which is introducing 55nm and higher." Samsung's 51nm NAND flash chips can be produced 60 percent more efficiently than those produced with 60nm process technology. Samsung achieved this new migration milestone just eight months after announcing production of its 60nm 8Gb NAND flash last August. The new 16Gb chip which has a 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. ) structure can facilitate capacity expansion by offering 16 gigabytes (GBs) of memory in a single memory card. Furthermore, by applying the new process technology, Samsung has accelerated the chip's read and write speeds by approximately 80 percent over current MLC data processing data processing or information processing, operations (e.g., handling, merging, sorting, and computing) performed upon data in accordance with strictly defined procedures, such as recording and summarizing the financial transactions of a speeds. NAND Flash New MLC (51nm) Current MLC (60nm) SLC (60nm) Read speed 30MB/s 17MB/s 33MB/s Write speed 8MB/s 4.4MB/s 13MB/s NAND flash memory reads and writes data in units called "pages." The 60nm NAND flash memory is designed with a 2 KiloByte (thousand bytes). For technical specifications, it refers to 1,024 bytes. In general usage, it typically refers to an even one thousand bytes (see kilo). Also KB, Kbyte and K-byte. See space/time. (unit) kilobyte - (KB) 2^10 = 1024 bytes. See prefix. (KB) page size, but the 51nm 16Gb version can process data in 4 KB pages, nearly doubling the data rate. The product also maintains the same 4 bit error-correcting code (ECC (1) (Error-Correcting Code) A type of memory that corrects errors on the fly. See ECC memory. (2) (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) A public key cryptography method that provides fast decryption and digital signature processing. ) capability as that of 60nm 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. , allowing customers to use existing system interfaces with only minor firmware upgrades. With its 4 bit ECC, Samsung eliminates the need to secure a better ECC capability to assure sufficient reliability, which would have required new costly controllers. Samsung will offer an optimized suite of Flash software and firmware-incorporated storage devices for music phones and MP3 players to support 4KB pages. It also will provide a multi-plane performance optimization feature and wear-leveling for improved reliability. Memory cards and MP3 controllers to support the 4KB-page are already available. Technology migration to 16Gb is expected to boost the recent explosive demand for high-density data storage in high-end music phones and the phenomenal trend toward user created content (UCC An abbreviation for the Uniform Commercial Code. ). As the demand for video content grows stronger by the day, products that feature extended recording time of high-resolution video footage, including mid-to-high-range digital cameras, will particularly benefit from the high capacity and performance of 16Gb NAND flash memory. With support technology in place, demand for 16Gb NAND flash memory is expected to grow rapidly, pushing this new chip into the mainstream market beginning late this year. Aggregate global sales through 2010 are estimated to be US$21 billion. About Samsung Electronics America, Inc. Headquartered in Ridgefield Park Ridgefield Park, village (1990 pop. 12,454), Bergen co., NE N.J., on the Hackensack River; inc. 1892. Chiefly residential, it manufactures some paper goods. , NJ, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA) markets a broad range of award-winning consumer electronics, information systems, and home appliance products; and oversees Samsung's North American operations North American operation Surgical oncology Radical surgery of a 'frozen pelvis', consisting of radical en bloc resection of the uterus and urinary bladder. See 'Frozen pelvis.'. Cf 'All-American' and 'South American' operations. , including Samsung Telecommunications America, LP, Samsung Semiconductor Inc., Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Mexico, Inc. Its parent company, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., ranks #5 in the 2006 Consumer Electronics segment of the Fortune Magazine "America's Most Admired Companies A yearly publication by Fortune Magazine, America's Most Admired Companies consists of corporations that are highly esteemed by the likes of Business Executives, Directors, and Analysts. A survey is taken of close to 3300 professionals who give their opinions on the companies. ," and ranks #20 in the BusinessWeek "The Best Global Brand 100 2006." Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd. is a top patent holder, ranking second overall in the U.S. in 2006. Please visit www.samsung.com for more information. About Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence In the days of the first computers, transaction and company data were the first types of information digitized. Then came text, opening the world to word processing, followed by audio CDs and finally video. technologies with 2006 parent company sales of US$63.4 billion and net income of US$8.5 billion. Employing approximately 138,000 people in 124 offices in 56 countries, the company consists of five main business units: Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business, Telecommunication Network Business, and Digital Appliance Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones, and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com |
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