tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27527553.post-83483049079239149882007-10-24T03:21:00.000-07:002007-10-24T03:25:35.926-07:00<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Samsung's big advances in tiny chips.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">That 128 gb iPod isn't all that far off, neither is SSDs (solid state drives) with more that 32 gb of storage that won't cost you an arm and a leg.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Electronics giant Samsung has shown off what it claims is the world's most powerful chip for use in memory cards. </b> </span><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">The 64 gigabit (Gb) chips could be used to make 128 gigabyte memory cards, commonly used in MP3 players, capable of holding the equivalent of 80 DVDs. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">The chips are built using circuits with a minimum feature size of just 30 billionths of a metre (nanometre). </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Rival firm Toshiba has said it is also working with similar technology. Both firms will release products in 2009.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Flash advance</b> </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Flash memory is a so-called non-volatile computer memory, primarily used in memory cards, USB drives and MP3 players. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Non-volatile memory retains information even when there is no power to the device. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Samsung said there was currently "exploding demand" for flash memory as a storage medium in a range of applications. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">The new chips are designed to be used in a specific type of memory known as NAND flash. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">NAND is one of two types of flash memory and offers higher storage and faster speeds than the cheaper NOR flash. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">NOR is commonly used in low-end applications where smaller memory capacity and slower speeds are acceptable, such as in cheaper mobile phone handsets. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Samsung has said that a single chip could be used in an MP3 player capable of holding 18,000 songs. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Combining 16 chips would allow 128GB devices, the company said, making Flash a rival to hard drives. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">"This has the biggest storage capacity of a single memory chip ever developed in the world," Kwon Hyosun of the firm told AFP. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Toshiba announced its plans to use 30nm technology earlier this month. </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><!-- E BO -->"Our goal is to gain an edge over rivals by supplying the most advanced chips before anyone else," a spokeswoman for Toshiba said at the time. <br /><br /></span><br />Read all about it <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7057717.stm">here</a>, courtesy of news.bbc.co.uk<br /><br />Eric3DCOOL.COMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17101611697019644437noreply@blogger.com