| Flash chips push gigabyte envelope |
Dec. 21, 2004
 Flash memory pioneer M-Systems has unveiled a new line of Flash chips initially promising capacities up to 1 gigabyte per device. The new H-series DiskOnChips will come in 12 x 18mm FBGA packages and are aimed at high-end music and video-centric mobile phones.
(Click for larger image of DiskOnChip H-series)
The H-Series DiskOnChips are based on multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash silicon, but provide a NOR/SRAM-compatible system interface. Use of MLC NAND Flash technology optimizes cost and density, while the NOR/SRAM-type interface enables the chips to be used with virtually all of today's advanced mobile chipsets, M-Systems says. In contrast, MLC and large block NAND technology are not directly supported by many existing mobile chipsets and software drivers, necessitating more costly alternatives, such as conventional (small block binary) NAND, removable media, and hard drives, according to M-Systems.
The H-Series DiskOnChips are supported by M-Systems's TrueFFS flash file system, with embedded operating system drivers available for Symbian OS, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Nucleus, and Linux, M-Systems says.
"With 3G networks finally in service, we see an increase in streaming video and music content delivery services, such as iTunes, introduced in the handset arena," said David Tolub, general manager of M-Systems' mobile division. "For network operators to capitalize on this opportunity, they'll require handsets with much higher storage capacities than ever before."
"Some of the handsets on the market offer expandable memory slots, and we're even seeing the integration of hard drives into some fringe mobile handset designs -- all in an effort to increase storage capacity for a variety of multimedia files including music, photos and video," said Allen Nogee, principal analyst, InStat-MDR. "Based on solid state MLC NAND flash technology, DiskOnChip H-series delivers the capacity and performance required for multimedia with a fraction of the power and size penalty of micro drives. In addition, with no moving parts, it can easily sustain falls and other shocks that handsets often experience and that would cause conventional spinning media to fail."
The 512MB DiskOnChip H1 based on 90 nanometer process MLC NAND will be available in Q1 of 2005, and the 1GB chip will follow in Q2 of 2005. M-Systems expects to begin delivering H-series DiskOnChips based on 70 nanometer process MLC NAND by the end of 2005.
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