Intel, Micron introduce 25-nanometer NAND
02 Feb 2010
Semiconductor maker Intel and Micron Technology today announced the world's first 25-nanometer (nm) NAND technology, which they said provides a more cost-effective path for increasing storage capacity in such popular consumer gadgets as smartphones, personal music and media players (PMPs), as well as the new high-performance class of solid-state drives (SSDs).
NAND flash memory stores data and other media contained in consumer electronics products, retaining information even when the power is turned off. The drive toward smaller NAND processes enables the continued development and introduction of new uses for the technology.
Not only is the 25nm process the smallest NAND technology, it is also the smallest semiconductor technology in the world – a technological accomplishment that continues the advancement of more music, video, and other data in today's consumer electronics and computing applications.
Manufactured by IM Flash Technologies (IMFT), Intel and Micron's NAND flash joint venture, the 25nm process produces 8 gigabytes (GB) of storage in a single NAND device, creating a high-capacity storage solution for today's tiny consumer gadgets.
It measures just 167mm2 -- small enough to fit through the hole in the middle of a compact disc (CD), yet packs more than 10 times the data capacity of that CD (a standard CD holds 700 megabytes of data).
With a committed focus and investment in NAND research and development, Intel and Micron have doubled NAND density roughly every 18 months, which leads to smaller, more cost-efficient and higher capacity products.