First Phase Change Memory Prototypes
February 7, 2008
Intel Corporation and STMicroelectronics reached a key industry milestone today as they began shipping prototype samples of a future product using a new, innovative memory technology called Phase Change Memory (PCM). The prototypes are the first functional silicon to be delivered to customers for evaluation, bringing the technology one step closer to adoption.
The memory device, codenamed “Alverstone” uses PCM, a promising new memory technology providing very fast read and write speeds at lower power than conventional flash, and allows for bit alterability normally seen in RAM. PCM has long been a topic of discussion for research and development, and with “Alverstone,” Intel and STMicroelectronics are helping to move the technology into the marketplace.
“This is the most significant non-volatile memory advancement in 40 years,” said Ed Doller, chief technology officer-designate of Numonyx, the new name for the pending STMicroelectronics and Intel flash memory company. “There have been plenty of attempts to find and develop new non-volatile memory technologies, yet of all the concepts, PCM provides the most compelling solution – and Intel and STMicroelectronics are delivering PCM into the hands of customers today. This is an important milestone for the industry and for our companies.”
In related news, Intel and STMicroelectronics technologists presented a research paper this week at the International Solid States Circuits Conference (ISSCC) describing yet another breakthrough in PCM technology. Together, the companies created the world’s first demonstrable high-density, multi-level cell (MLC) large memory device using PCM technology. The move from single bit per cell to MLC also brings significantly higher density at a lower cost per Mbyte making the combination of MLC and PCM a powerful development.
In 2003, Intel and STMicroelectronics formed a joint development program (JDP) to focus on Phase Change Memory development. Previously the JDP demonstrated 8Mb memory arrays on 180nm at the 2004 VLSI conference and first disclosed the Alverstone 90nm 128Mbit memory device at the 2006 VLSI Symposium. Alverstone and future JDP products will become part of Numonyx, a new independent semiconductor company created through an agreement between STMicroelectronics, Intel and Francisco Partners signed in May 2007. The new company’s strategic focus will be on supplying complete memory solutions for a variety of consumer and industrial devices, including cellular phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, computers and other high-tech equipment. The companies are scheduled to close the transaction in the first quarter of 2008.
In 2007, the combined memory market for DRAM, flash, and other memory products such as EEPROM was US$61 billion, according to the industry research firm Web-Feet Research, Inc. Memory technology cost declines have traditionally been driven at the rate of “Moore’s Law,” where density doubles every 18 months with each lithography shrink. As RAM and flash technologies run into scaling limitations over the next decade, PCM costs will decline at a faster rate. The advent of multi-level-cell PCM will further accelerate the cost per bit crossover of PCM technology relative to today’s technologies. Finally, by combining the bit-alterability of DRAM, the non-volatility of flash, the fast reads of NOR and the fast writes of NAND, PCM has the ability to address the entire memory market and be a key driver for future growth over the next decade.
Alverstone is a 128Mb device built on 90nm and is intended to allow memory customers to evaluate PCM features, allowing cellular and embedded customers to learn more about PCM and how it can be incorporated into their future system designs.
Its a fact, worlds fastest NAND Flash is here!
February 4, 2008
The new technology – developed jointly by Intel and Micron and manufactured by the companies’ NAND flash joint venture, IM Flash Technologies (IMFT) – is five times faster than conventional NAND, allowing data to be transferred in a fraction of the time for computing, video, photography and other computing applications.
The new high speed NAND can reach speeds up to 200 megabytes per second (MB/s) for reading data and 100 MB/s for writing data, achieved by leveraging the new ONFI 2.0 specification and a four-plane architecture with higher clock speeds. In comparison, conventional single level cell NAND is limited to 40 MB/s for reading data and less than 20 MB/s for writing data.
“The computing market is embracing NAND-based solutions to accelerate system performance through the use of caching and solid-state drives,” said Pete Hazen, director of marketing, Intel NAND Products Group. “At up to five times the performance over conventional NAND, the high speed NAND from Intel and Micron, based on the ONFi 2.0 industry standard, will enable new embedded solutions and removable solutions that take advantage of high–performance system interfaces, including PCIe and upcoming standards such as USB 3.0.”
For example, the specific performance advantages of high speed NAND in today’s most popular devices include:
- When used in a hybrid hard drive, high speed NAND can allow the system to read and write data anywhere between two or four times the speed when compared to conventional hard drives.
- With the popularity of digital video cameras and video on demand services, high speed NAND can enable a high-definition movie to be transferred five times faster than conventional NAND.
- With the pending USB 3.0 interface, high speed NAND is expected to effectively deliver on the increased data transfer rates of the new specification, where conventional NAND would act as the bottleneck in system performance. USB 3.0 is aiming for 10 times the bandwidth of current USB 2.0 solutions, or approximately achieving 4.8 gigabits per second.
- As NAND continues to move into the PC platform, the Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface (NVMHCI) can take advantage of high speed NAND in solutions such as Intel® Turbo Memory, allowing for even better system performance. NVMHCI is designed to provide a standard software programming interface allowing operating system drivers to access NAND flash memory storage in applications such as hard drive caching and solid-state drives.
Intel finally realise they have too many brands
January 11, 2008
Buying a perfect PC shouldn’t be hard. That’s why we’ve made it even easier to identify a PC that can best suit your needs with simplified labeling for:
- Intel® Centrino® processor technology for laptop PCs
- Intel® Core™2 processor family for business desktop PCs and digital home media
Intel® Centrino® processor technology
When shopping for a laptop PC, look for the new Intel® Centrino® processor technology brand to get outstanding technology for your mobile needs. For business, look for the new Intel® Centrino® with vPro™ technology brand to get business optimized mobile technology with security and manageability features built right in.
The simplified Intel Centrino processor family
Intel® Core™2 processor family
Now you only need to look for the Intel Core 2 processor family brand to get the breakthrough energy-efficient performance you need to multitask the latest business software, achieve amazing graphics and HD performance, and take advantage of demanding applications—including Microsoft Windows Vista*. For an unprecedented home media and HD experience, look no further than Intel® Core™2 with Viiv™ technology. And for businesses, get security and manageability with Intel® Core™2 with vPro™ technology.
The simplified Intel Core 2 product family
If you are looking for Intel Processors you can find them here : Intel Processors
New Intel Core 2 Extreme Processors - We say WOW they are fast
January 9, 2008
Extreme exhilaration. Extreme enjoyment.
Whether it’s gaming, digital photography, or video editing, today’s high-impact entertainment demands breakthrough technology. Get the unrivaled multi-core performance of the new Intel® Core™2 Extreme processors.
Your options, multiplied
Intel® Core™2 Extreme quad-core processor
When more is better-with four processing cores the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor delivers unrivaled¹ performance for the latest, greatest generation of multi-threaded games and multimedia apps.
Now with a new version based on Intel’s cutting edge 45nm technology utilizing hafnium-infused circuitry to deliver even greater performance and power efficiency. The Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor QX9650 running at 3.0 GHz delivers the best possible experience for today’s most demanding users.
- 12 MB of total L2 cache
1333 MHz front side bus
The Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor QX6850 based on Intel’s 65nm process:
- 8 MB of total L2 cache
1333 MHz front side bus
Intel® Core™2 Extreme mobile processor
Experience the world’s highest performing mobile processor². Bar none. Now you have the performance to play the latest multi-threaded games anywhere, with the Intel® Core™2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor X7900.
- 4 MB of shared L2 cache
800 MHz front side bus
Intel Core 2 Extreme dual-core processor
With the Intel Core 2 Extreme dual-core processor, you get energy-efficient gaming performance for a frighteningly vivid high-def multimedia experience.
- 4 MB of shared L2 cache
1066 MHz front side bus
