IM Flash Technologies

Intel and Micron Technology have developed a new technology to expand the densities of the memory chips used in consumer storage devices such as flash cards and USB drives. Their joint-venture company, called IM Flash Technologies, has already begun sampling NAND memory chips capable of storing three bits of information per memory cell and it expects to begin mass-producing the devices in the fourth quarter.

A joint venture between Intel and Micron Technology is preparing to mass-produce a 32-gigabit memory chip featuring Intel's multi-level cell memory technology. The new NAND chips to be manufactured by IM Flash Technologies will go up against similar products from rivals Samsung and Toshiba, beginning next year.

Developed and manufactured using low-power 34-nanometer technology, the industry's only monolithic 32Gbit NAND chip fits into the industry's standard 48-lead packaging and represents the smallest NAND geometry on the market, the companies said.

Intel and Micron Technology announced Thursday that they have developed the first under-40-nanometer NAND flash-memory device, which could make possible smaller, higher-capacity solid-state drives.

At 34nm, the 32-gigabit multilevel chip is the smallest NAND available. The companies said the new NAND chip is the only monolithic device of this density that will fit into a standard 48-lead thin, small-outline package (TSOP), which means it could provide higher densities for existing devices.

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