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The building blocks of IT just keep getting smaller and more powerful.
Flash memory maker Micron Technology revealed July 17 that it is now sampling next-generation, 16-nanometer process chips, which eventually will power the industry’s smallest 128-gigabit MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash memory devices.
Micron claims that the 16nm node is not only the smallest but also the most advanced processing node for any sampling semiconductor device, because it provides the greatest number of bits per square millimeter and lowest overall cost of any currently available MLC device.
The new flash chip can accommodate nearly 6TB of storage on a single wafer, Micron said.
The new 128Gb MLC flash memory devices are targeted at use cases that include consumer solid-state disks, removable storage (such as USB drives and flash cards), tablet PCs, ultrathin devices, mobile handsets and data center cloud storage.
Micron said it plans to be in full production with the new storage device by Q4 2013. Micron is also developing a new line of solid-state drive (SSD) solutions based on these devices, and expects to ship SSDs with 16nm flash in 2014.