8-Gigabit Flash Memory Chip Debuts

10 Feb, 2005 at 11:53pm ET Article published in Tech

Data storage companies Toshiba and SanDisk announced a new flash memory chip designed to address the growing use of large media files.

The joint development partnership has produced a chip that accommodates 8-gigabits (Gb) of storage. Made using 70-nanometer (nm) process technology, the computer memory chip is based on a NAND (define) design, which makes it suitable for storing music, video and other data. Toshiba and SanDisk said products based on their new flash memory technology should start rolling out this summer.

The companies said the 8Gb chip will become “the production workhorse” for the joint venture between Toshiba and SanDisk. At a size of 146-millimeters, the 8Gb chip has a density of 6 billion bits or 3 billion transistors per square centimeter (20 billion transistors per square inch of silicon). The companies said they also plan to commercialize a 16Gb NAND flash memory component that stacks two of the 8Gb NAND flash memories in a single package.

Source: PC World

Comments

10 Feb 2005 ~ 11:58pm Thrax Why do they do that? Why? Why does every ****ing market but HDDs measure thing in XXXXbits?

The thing is a god damn storage device, it should be measured in megs... 8Gb is 1GB, end of story. I hate that.. The dichotomy is designed to dupe consumers. Who wants a 1GB flash card when you can get an 8Gb flash card?!?!11
11 Feb 2005 ~ 1:49am RWB I use bits for transfer rates, but I am inclined to agree with Thrax on this bull. It's very misleading. 1GB memory sticks and craphave been out for a long time too.... :o
11 Feb 2005 ~ 9:33am Sputnik transfer rates are screwy, internally, everything is measured in MB/sec, externally, everything is in Mb/sec.

They use it cuz it's the accepted standard, yes, it is used to make coustomers think incorrectly, but it's the way that it's alwasys been done.
11 Feb 2005 ~ 11:20am TheSmJ Nevermind the fact that it isn't a hard drive; it's a memory device. Nobody measures RAM in Mbs', so why flash memory?

Then again, this is the first I've ever heard of flash mem measured in bits...
11 Feb 2005 ~ 7:18pm Omega65

Thrax wrote:

Why do they do that? Why? Why does every ****ing market but HDDs measure thing in XXXXbits?

One thing to consider is they're announcing a Chip (memory component - measured in Mb) whereas the actual storage device, the memory module, will consist of 8 or 16 of those chips and is measured in MB.

One annoynace is why does 1GB mean 1,073,741,824 for Memory but only 1,000,000,000 for HDs?!?
12 Feb 2005 ~ 12:05am Sputnik cuz memory is based on 2^n, whereas hard drives are based on 10^n....

just blame hard drive manufacturers' marketing deptartments there.
14 Feb 2005 ~ 10:31am Tex And since they added (GB) after it I assumed it was a stupid typo by someone that didnt know the differance.

Probably written by a marketing guy... (grin)

Tex