SanDisk says it has developed the world’s smallest 128 gigabit (Gb) NAND flash memory chip currently in production.
Indeed, the semiconductor device is capable of storing 128 billion individual bits of information on a single silicon die 170mm2 in size – a little more than a quarter of an inch squared, or smaller than the area covered by a US penny.
In addition to reduced size, the 128Gb semiconductor device also boasts an X3 write performance of 18 megabytes (MB) per second – which is made possible by all bit line (ABL) architecture.
According to SanDisk, the 128Gb NAND flash memory chip was built on 19 nanometer (nm) process technology.
A nanometer measures one-billionth of a meter, meaning that 19nm circuit lines are so small that approximately 3,000 of them could fit across the width of a human hair.
So what does this mean for you?
Well, NAND flash memory is currently found in a wide range of mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets and solid state drives (SSDs).
As such, shrinking the size of NAND should help facilitate the design of smaller, more powerful computing devices while keeping costs low.
Products based on the 128Gb three-bit per cell technology – along with a 64Gb, X3 NAND flash memory chip – began shipping late last year and have already ramped into high volume production.
